Developing sponsorship competencies. A Maryland-based system prepares itself for public juridic person status.

S upport for the development of leaders and staff members in Catholic health care is vital for the ministry's future. Bon Secours Health System, Inc. (BSHSI), Marriottsville, xMD, places a high priority on such development. Indeed, BSHSI's commitment is reflected in various strategic documents, including its Sponsorship Policies, Strategic Quality Plan, and Human Resources Philosophy, to name only a few. As we noted in our previous article, BSHSI currently is sponsored by the Sisters of Bon Secours USA, Marriottsville, MD. The sisters have petitioned the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life to designate a public juridic person, called "Bon Secours Ministries," as BSHSI's new sponsor. That decision is pending. In the meantime, the sisters and BSHSI's leaders have for a number of years been focusing on leadership development as a significant part of ensuring the ministry's future.