Spirituality for lay leaders. System program stresses the motivation behind the ministry

In 1989 the leaders of Daughters of Charity National Health System-East Central Region (DCNHS-EC) decided to explore their 10 facilities' underlying spirituality. A study group made up of top DCNHS-EC management and representatives of other DCNHS regions and ministries met quarterly for a year to discuss four topics: The distinction between "spirituality" and "religion". The difference between "human development" and "human formation". The primacy, in contemporary Western culture, of the "functional' dimension of human life over the "transcendent" dimension. The importance of "beholding the Mystery" of life, rather than trying to control or manipulate it. In 1990, at the end of their sessions, the group's participants published Spirituality and Spiritual Formation, a document summing up what they had learned. The leaders of each DCNHS-EC facility were urged to understand and support the document; the vice presidents for mission services were especially encouraged to integrate spirituality and spiritual formation in their work. Over the past seven years, the DCNHS-EC facilities have integrated spirituality in the workplace by emphasizing such events and activities as spirituality committees, retreats, renewal days, and pilgrimages. In September, St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services, Indianapolis, broke ground for a spirituality center for its associates, medical staff, volunteers, and benefactors and the members of their families.