Living our mission. Healing is mutual for nurses who attend to their patients lovingly.

Dr. Perry is associate professor, Centre for Nursing and Health Studies, Athabasca University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. W hat does it mean to "live one's mission" as a caregiver in a Catholic health care institution? Dur ing three years I spent as a clinical nurse educator in a Catholic hospital, I often asked nurses to tell me about those times in their careers when they felt satisfied that they were fulfilling their calling. I had originally intended the question to be a professional development exercise. In asking it, I hoped to help nurses reflect on the underlying values that inspired and energized their daily work. But I soon became fascinated by the consistency of the responses.