Bishop Edward Malesic’s first visit to Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital coincided with the hospital’s annual Mission Day celebration on June 2. The event included Mass, meeting staff and patients, lunch, a brief talk and an opportunity to view displays about the hospital’s history and mission.
During Mass in Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel, the bishop shared his faith journey, noting he had planned to become a medical technologist until he realized he was being called to a priestly vocation.
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He thanked those who minister in the hospital, asking the caregivers and staff to think about the families of the patients and encouraging them “to be compassionate … and to follow the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis,” who founded the hospital in 1949.
Even after joining the Cleveland Clinic in 1995 as its first regional hospital, the bishop said “Marymount remains true to the Catholic Church and the sisters’ mission … At Marymount, the image of God is stamped on the patients and those who serve them … We find Jesus in those who are most in need.”
After visiting with a few patients and staff members, the bishop joined hospital leaders, board members and about a dozen religious sisters for lunch.
Sister Mary Alice Jarosz, SSJ-TOSF, who heads the hospital’s mission committee, discussed her vocation and connection to the Marymount campus, which includes the hospital, Trinity High School, a shrine, the former motherhouse and Marymount Village retirement community. The 52-acre campus is marking its 100th anniversary.
“I fell in love with this campus. I watched it grow and change,” she said, noting she is a graduate of Marymount High School, now Trinity, where she later taught before beginning her work at the hospital. She also serves on the Clinic’s regional hospital board.
“The legacy of the sisters lives on here. They did what they could and now it is your turn to shine,” she said.
Dr. Alice Kim, Marymount vice president and chief medical officer, shared some of the milestones Marymount has achieved during its 77-year history, including establishing a pioneer coronary unit and being the first area hospital with 24-hour emergency care.
Bishop Malesic spoke briefly about “The Gift of Catholic Healthcare in a Changing World,” explaining that as Catholics, “We try to care for the whole person … This hospital is special because of what you do … Healing with compassion is an extension of Christ’s redemption,” he said, acknowledging it’s difficult to be involved with healthcare today.
“The mystery of Christ casts light on every aspect of Catholic healthcare … We don’t see life as disposable … There is dignity, value and virtue in every life, even when people are suffering. We are all the sons and daughters of a loving God … Every human person has an inherent dignity that comes because we are created in the image and likeness of God … That is at the heart of Catholic healthcare … No one is excluded from God’s love.”