Their dedication to healing the whole person includes assuring that the common good for all people is sought and protected and that the voiceless are given opportunities for growth and fulfillment. When systemic structures oppress marginalized groups, the CSAs and their collaborators speak up and work to bring about just conditions for all people who may otherwise be overlooked and silenced.

This expression of love flows from their Catholic identity, which inspires and empowers the organizations of the SCHS. To be Catholic means:

• To encounter Christ in prayer, Scripture, worship and the Sacraments, and nurture a relationship with him, revealing God’s love to the world (Authentic worship)
• To be engaged in the proclamation of God’s love (in word and deed) to a world longing for more (Evangelization)
• To nurture a community of faith made up of people who love and care for each other (Community and Healing)
• To recognize grace and the divine Spirit animating and the world and calling people to deeper conversion in God’s love (Transformation in Grace)
• To adhere to the Church’s rich moral tradition, which prioritizes the dignity of the human person and “flows from the natural law, understood in the light of the revelation Christ has entrusted to his Church. From this source the Church has derived its understanding of the nature of the human person, of human acts, and of the goals that shape human activity.”[1] (Moral Tradition)
• To act with charity and justice in the face of adversity, protecting the sanctity of all people, especially the vulnerable and voiceless (Prophetic Love and Catholic Social Teaching)

[1] Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs), Pg. 4.

As a Catholic organization sponsored by the CSAs, we root our efforts and initiatives through the CSA Lens of Love, which is expressed in their motto, “In Ominibus Caritas” – “In all things charity” and in the core values that shape our family of ministries. The lenses in a pair of glasses will provide the wearer with a clarity of focus and vision, and shape perspectives that might otherwise be missed. The CSA Lens of Love challenges all who work within the SCHS to “see” the world and humanity as God sees them– blessed and beloved.

The CSAs and those who co-minister with them, inspired by their mission to continue Jesus’ healing ministry, recognize and celebrate the dignity of all people, embracing the rich diversity that beautifully enhances the community and weaves together a patchwork of narratives by the thread of divine love. They seek to understand the root causes of disparities and work to alleviate systemic injustices that oppress human fulfillment. In a spirit of authentic hospitality, they welcome and include all people and cultivate an environment of respect, interconnectedness, and love. As collaborators with the CSAs, we are carriers of the mission and must be ready to prophetically call out and condemn all forms of discrimination. Pope St. John Paul II writes, “All forms of discrimination are totally unacceptable, especially those forms which unfortunately continue to divide and degrade the human person, from those based on race or economics to those social and cultural, from political to geographic, etc. Each discrimination constitutes an absolutely intolerable injustice…” (Christifideles Laici, no. 37).

• Recognize and Promote the Dignity of All People – Dignity “is the indestructible property of every human being. The force of this affirmation is based on the uniqueness and irrepeatibility of every person,”[1] made intentionally in God’s image and likeness (Cf. Genesis 1: 27).
• Work for Justice and the Gospel Value of Humility – Provide for the common good (“The sum of those social conditions which provide ready and thorough access to fulfillment” Gaudium et Spes, par. 26) by addressing systemic structural deficiencies that promote the common bad (those conditions, individual and social, that “reduce the quality of life for all it affects” – David Hollenbach).
• Cultivate an Ethos of Solidarity – Create environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate and contribute. A welcoming environment embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people. Solidarity “is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good, that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual because we are all really responsible for all.” Pope St. John Paul II, Sollicitudo rei Socialis, no. 38
• Engender a Community of Belonging & Accompaniment – belonging is the feeling of connectedness, community and support, where one can authentically grow and thrive in God’s love. As a community, grounded in faith we are called to accompany each other. “The ‘art of accompaniment’ teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (Cf. Ex 3:5). The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze, which also heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life.” – Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, no. 169