Abstract

Nagle, Cormac At the 2015 national conference of Catholic Health Australia, Fr Cormac Nagle OFM was awarded CHA's highest honour, the Maria Cunningham Lifetime Contribution Award. After receiving this award, Fr Cormac reflected on his years of ministry at the Chisholm Centre's 2015 Annual General Meeting. We are pleased to present a slightly edited version of his speech here. Fr Cormac reminds us that Catholic health and aged care follows in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, and that both our service and our ethics are based on a profound respect for human dignity. He advises how our ethical standards should always be interpreted so that they reveal rather than obscure the Good News which Christianity proclaims. Fr Cormac also highlights the need for a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to healthcare. Rather than treating only physical or medical problems, this holistic approach cares for the whole person and also attends to their emotional, social and spiritual needs.