Catholic Physicians\u27 Guilds

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 32 | Number 1 Article 5February 1965EditorialsCatholic Physicians' GuildsFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationCatholic Physicians' Guilds (1965) "Editorials," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 32 : No. 1 , Article 5.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol32/iss1/5EDITORIALS THE MEDICAL APOSTOLATE Often when asked to work in the Guild, physicians ques! "Why have Catholic organizations at all?" Commonweal issue. Truly, most of them have ridiculous names and absu haps they tend even to keep us in our little parochial ghet and defensiveness are not attractive qualities and hardly men to Christ. Several papers in this issue may help to artions as they apply to the Catholic Physicians ' Guilds. It is t ethical and philosophical problems have an exclusively C [f we do not provide the "Continuing Education" in ethic necessary to prevent intellectual obsolescence, who will? 1 its real value. ks in a recent purposes. Per-,. Clannishness 1 p us bring all ver these ques· e, many of our 10lic approach. nd phi losophy , he pondered mple. The ex· rhe world as 1 11 order as his )rs Association s through the ·his and other Luke, the lay evangelist, may have h ad similar thoughts the admonition to carry Christ's teaching by word and by c pagan physician from Antioch took the route of consecratin layman-penetrating, permeating and influencing the temp clerical friend, Paul, could not. Similarly, the Mission De chose to assist Msgr. Brouwers and his ordained missiona lay apostolate. Further, they now operate on their own i, directions to create a more Christian environment. Physicians today, as· in the days of St. Luke, are amo, the educated laity. As their opinions are formed, so are those of the Ch ·ch which they comprise. Pius XII, John XXIII, and Pope Paul VI have I inted out that it is the doctor's duty to study, research, synthesize and pt tish in contro· versial areas so that the Church of which they are men- �rs may more readily arrive at the truth. For the Church must go thro 1 the ordinary human processes of thought, study and consulta tion. If Cat olic physicians are not generous in their efforts to acquire and transmit nowled ge, the Church will be the poorer for it and the spectre of Galik may haunt us again. As part of the people of God, physicians must reco< ,1ize and share this responsibility. Challenging years may be ahead for the medical pro cssion in this country. The corporate influence of Catholic physicians ( n, if properly directed, help guide the course which our nation and our _,rofession will follow. The example of medical citizens like Tom Bain an.I Ismael Mena will add lustre to the physician's image and reinforce his influence. It can even offset some of the ethical errors and evil images discusseJ by Dr. Doyl�i Therefore, we need the Guilds. We need the medical scI.ools. We necu them badly. They must perform their duties better, become stronger; be less timid-that St. Luke's example may live. a. J. O'L. A MORE ACCURATE RHYTHM Included in this Los Angeles issue is the article of Dr. Harold M. Groden on "pin-pointing" ovulation. The moral considerations have been clear�d by theologians. The medical aspects need more than thirty-five patients for indis· putable evidence. Important are these facts: This is a pilot study. It was. d_on� by a board qualified �ynecologist in his own private practice. It was subsidize) by no financial aid other than that furnished by the Norwood (Massachuse�t Hospital. Two qualified pathologists verified the testing and cytology. t/type of pill used has been omitted to avoid prejudice. It is hope? that �s clinical research will be a stimulus to more study of the perfect10n of l' .� generative cycle. Therein will rest the better and more accurate use of 10frhythm. By the way, the investigator and his wife, Helen, are the parents 0 fifteen children. W.J.E. The Time and The Place' w WESTERBECK, M.D., M.P.H.CHARLES · Earl . 1944 while a freshman �tY m ' t f Medi St. Louis University Schoo � -. I was struck with the idea th�t one, eed in the Catholic there was a n . . n­Oiurch for a religious comm_umty e _ tirel devoted to the medical m1s­sio� apostolate. I had long wanted to be a priest and/or a doctor, an? I knew several others in the �e.d1caland dental schools who were �1mtlarly tom between these two vocations . The idea or plan was to form. a religious community that wo1;1ld in­clude men who would be pnes�s or brothers women who could be s1sterl and lay' men and women . . A_ll woul be devoted to a medical m1ss1on _apos­tolate following our Saviour's dictum to "Heal the sick ... " (Luke: X:l-9) · Priests brothers sisters and laity would ' ' · t ch-d. l mission group. From thisa me Ka h th . t e began to gather toget er e pom w h. d We students who shared t is r7air· Mis­d the group the Med1Ca name . d Mary and drew sionanes of Jesul s afn 1·f based on the a simple ru e O 1 e up . f the Sodality and the d1rect1ves o 1 ·us Spiritual Exercises of St. gnadt1 f. . hel a ter W kly meetings were Hol e�ass at Firmin Desloge Hos­·t r. the Doctors' Board Room. Vl(e r 1 ��mmunication with missionaries a n religious orders and c?m· of 1:1� y h ' fl bishops and pnests mumt1es, c _1e_t.Y St Louis. Lectures who were v1s1 mg · a by these dedicated people were Of inspiration and encourage-source d e ob-t It became more an mor d �en . that doctors and nurses an v1ous tl needed in the others were urgenl y tear that there missions. It was a so � it be physicians, dentists, nurses, � nologists (lab or x-ray) , pha�macists, medical social workers, medical . ad­ministrators, medical record libranans, dietitians and others, each accord­ing to his or her own calling. The only similar organization I kr:iew 0� t be an organization to recru ' mus d d support our train contract, sen an b 'ie Most of all there must e da peop . f 1· f to guide us an spiritual rule o 1 e f d-·t group o me weld us into a um ' a h r f of ical apostles dedicated to t e r� ie love ff . and able to reflect t e su enng broth-of Christ to our less fortunate . 11 . ers throughout the world, espeoa y m mission lands. h lf In the ensuing three and �ne-/ rs our number grew to thirty- _1ve yea d' l dental nursing members-me ica ' ' h students technicians-some of w oi:i in this country was the .. Sooety o Catholic Medical Missionaries found�d by Mother Anna Dengel, M.D. m 1925, all of whose members are re­ligious sisters, doctors and para­medical personnel. There was no or­ganization for medical .missionary men and certainly none for lay men and women. On the other hand, our Pr?t­cstant brothers have been very active in medical mission work for many years with hundreds of personnel in the field. wished 'to be pries!s, . brothers :n sisters but th� maior:� a:J w:m�: planned to remain lay m l of life All followed the same ru e . f and were dedicated to the_ pursu\ 0 d spiritual perfection i? Chnst., A � With the blessing of the Most Reverend John J. Glennon, Arch­bishop of St. Louis, I was encouraged to proceed with the formation of such FEBllUAllY, 1965 . d t least five years serv1Ce promise _a . in the misswns. devel-With time, correspondence 7 

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