Creating a private association: the St. Francis experience

The group of laypersons who founded St. Francis Hospital, Memphis, TN, in 1971 were dedicated to upholding Catholic values in health care yet often were questioned about the origins of their "Catholic" identity. "How can a hospital that is not owned by the diocese or sponsored by a religious institute call itself Catholic?" they were asked. The answer, St. Francis found, lies in the revised Code of Canon Law, which provides for a group of laypersons such as theirs to form a private association of the Christian faithful, be officially recognized by the Church, and receive canonical status. A participant in the pilot project through which CHA is studying the feasibility of alternative forms of sponsorship, St. Francis has worked closely with CHA in developing the private association's statutes and coordinating with the bishop provisions for evaluation of its stewardship. According to the statutes, the private association will monitor the hospital's adherence to Church values, and the bishop, serving in a pastoral capacity, will with CHA's assistance assess the association's effectiveness in carrying out its mission.