The hospital we call Mercy

When my predecessor, Bishop Michael O’Connor, came to Pittsburgh as its first bishop, seven Sisters of Mercy from Carlow, Ireland, accompanied him on this important journey. In those days, Pittsburgh was still a rowdy river town, decades from the glory years of the steel industry.

Led by Mother Frances Warde, these dedicated women set about putting the city into shape. One of their earliest and most important contributions was Mercy Hospital, which opened in 1847. Mercy Hospital was the city’s first, and in its 161 years has touched nearly everyone in Pittsburgh, rich and poor, black and white, Catholic and non-Catholic.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “mercy” as: “the power to be kind or compassionate; the energy to bring relief to the suffering.”

God defines “mercy” by who he is: reflected in the promise of his endless power of kindness and compassion; demonstrated in the endless ways he lifts us from our suffering.

Each of us stands as a testimony to how real mercy is gifted from God and through each other. Some of us know that testimony directly or indirectly from the hospital we have called “Mercy” for the past 161 years.

Five essential principles

Over the course of the last three years, the Sisters of Mercy, working closely with representatives of the diocese, came to an agreement to transfer ownership of Mercy Hospital to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The transfer of ownership ensures that the hospital will continue as Catholic and will serve the community for years to come with the very best Catholic medical care. As outlined in the agreement, UPMC Mercy will remain a Catholic hospital by a very careful fidelity to very clear-cut principles that make a medical institution Catholic.

In practice, this commitment means living out five essential principles:

• First, a Catholic hospital must adhere to the moral teachings of the church. Today, when many Catholic health care services are pressured to provide medical procedures that are contrary to Catholic teaching, Catholic health care affirms what defines it: a commitment to the sacredness and dignity of human life from the first moment of conception until the time of natural death.
• Second, a Catholic hospital must promote and defend human dignity by defending the right to adequate health care. This is the bedrock of any Catholic institution involved in medical service and science.
• Third, a Catholic hospital must care for the poor. No one can ever be turned away from a Catholic hospital because of an inability to pay, regardless of whether they are insured, underinsured or uninsured.
• Fourth, a Catholic hospital must contribute to the common good. Catholic health care services must advocate for fundamental human rights and for the economic, social, political and spiritual health of the entire community.
• Fifth and finally, a Catholic hospital must exercise stewardship of its resources. Its decisions about its operations have to be both loving and responsible.

I am pleased to say that the agreement between the Sisters of Mercy and UPMC not only meets all of these principles today but will also preserve them for our children and grandchildren.

A new beginning

I personally thank everyone involved in this historic agreement. I am especially grateful, though, for the work of Mr. Jeffrey Romoff, UPMC’s president and chief executive officer; Sister Margaret Hannan and the leadership of the Sisters of Mercy; Archbishop Donald Wuerl; Bishop Paul Bradley; Mr. John McGinley Jr., chairman of the board of trustees of Pittsburgh Mercy Health System; Mr. Kenneth Eshak, former president and chief executive officer of Mercy; and Mr. Robert Stanek, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Health East.

After 161 years, this agreement is not an ending but a new beginning. The transfer of ownership of Mercy Hospital to UPMC means that Catholic health care will remain in the city of Pittsburgh well into the future. At the same time, the Sisters of Mercy will be able to maintain and expand so many of their programs, particularly their service to the poor and the elderly. Today is a time to celebrate the future of Catholic health care in Pittsburgh.

I think Mother Frances Warde would be proud and, even more so, Jesus.