March 17, 2020

“There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. ​ There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already born for us, and does not now bear with us.” -St. John Paul II

Dear Members,
As I look out my window this morning, the world seems to have a surreal appearance. The feeling I sense is serene and quiet calmness. The energy of a typical business day is absent as traffic and people moving about is minimized. It seems unnerving and unfamiliar. 

Life at work is unlike the outside world. A palpable fear and anxiety about the impact of this pandemic fill the halls of the hospital. Doctors, nurses, and support staff struggle to implement policies intended to reduce the risk of contagion while providing compassionate care and supporting each other. The effects of state and national emergency declarations on family routines, finances, religious, and social gatherings compounds a sense of isolation.

The effect of the Coronavirus pandemic will touch all of us in some way. At the Catholic Medical Association, we have closed our office and staff will be working from home. All operations are fully functional. We are closely monitoring the impact of the pandemic on future meetings, including Boot Camp and Mid-year Leadership Training Meeting. 

“One always measures friendships by how they show up in bad weather.” – -Winston Churchill

The Board of the Catholic Medical Association, acting on its Mission to support members, stand in solidarity with you through prayer and fasting in these trying times. The Executive Committee is asking all members to join us in the following ways:

  • The Board has committed to saying St. Bernards’s Memorare Novena every day. St. Mother Teresa called this her “Flying Novena,” an “express one-day” novena to our Blessed Mother Mary for the grace of urgent favors. Pray the Memorare ​ten ​ times, because we may not be able to wait nine days for an answer.
  • The F.I.R.E Committee and the Bishops of Poland recommend saying “The Trisagion” (Thrice Holy), in times of epidemics. Another recommendation is a Novena from the Knights of Columbus, taken from a prayer of St. Francis. (https://youtu.be/rWdFgyKkTTw)
  • Dr. Thomas McGovern is recording additional episodes of ​”Doctor, Doctor” ​ with Dr. Paul Carson, Dr. Greg Burke, and other members with up to date information on the pandemic (www.RedeemerRadio.com/Doctor or on the iTunes App). If you have questions, email them to Doctor@RedeemerRadio.com.
  • We ask all guild chaplains to offer one Mass per week for members of the Catholic Medical Association and healthcare workers. 
  • We unite our sufferings in solidarity with our fellow members, their families, colleagues, and patients.
  • Wear and distribute the Miraculous Medal.
  • MyCatholicDoctor is a telehealth organization that is faithful to the teachings of the Church and includes many CMA members. MyCatholicDoctor is willing to assist any CMA member who is trying to get started with telehealth, either as part of MyCatholicDoctor or through your own practice.
  • Reach out to each other through FaceTime, Skype, and other sites to “check-in” with each other, especially our older members. The Board is looking at opportunities to pray together through live social media platforms.
  • Finally, in all things Praise God! Practice gratitude.

As I walk the empty aisles of toilet paper and bottled water, it strikes me how society has turned inward with an over-reactive focus on material needs. Above and beyond these material needs, we must rely on our faith to see God’s hand leading us through this ordeal, bringing us closer to Him, in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ at the foot of the Cross.

To paraphrase C.S. Lewis:

“The first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are going to be destroyed by an (epidemic), let that (virus), when it comes, find us doing sensible and human things — praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts (with proper social distancing) — not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about (coronavirus).”

May you and your families remain healthy and secure.

United through the Cross of Jesus Christ, 

Michael S. Parker, M.D. President