Health care and the church's mission. An Australian bishop reflects upon the health care ministry's role in the larger work of the Catholic Church.

I n what way is Catholic health care pan of the mission of the Catholic Church: Before trying to answer that question, it is necessary to ask the larger question: What is the mission of the Catholic Church? Nine years ago, I presented a paper at an executive workshop sponsored by the St. John of God Health Care System, which is based in Perth, Western Australia.* In that paper, I suggested the following definition: "The church is a communion, but as such it is a sign and sen ant of what God is doing on a larger scale, reconciling the whole cosmos in Christ, the coming of the Kingdom of God. The church is always a fragile, ambiguous sign of the kingdom, but also always its servant."