Pandemic gave Catholic health workers 'a chance to practice our principles,' reflect on ethical lessons learned, doctor tells colleagues
DETROIT — Two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Catholic scientists and health care workers gathered March 27 for a day of rest, reflection and much-needed prayer.
Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron celebrated the Archdiocese of Detroit’s 23rd annual Rose Mass at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, an event that honors those working in the medical field and offers Catholic professionals a chance to renew their Hippocratic Oath.
Immediately following the Mass, health care workers were invited to attend a presentation by Dr. Daniel Michael, a neurosurgeon and director of the Michigan Head & Spine Institute, as well as a professor and founding residency director at the Department of Neurosurgery for Oakland University's William Beaumont School of Medicine.
“For those of you who were able to attend the Mass this morning, it was terrific,” Dr. Michael said. “The idea is to remember health care workers in prayer, and I would say nobody needs it so much.”
In his hourlong presentation, titled “COVID-19 Challenges to Bioethics,” Dr. Michael shared the history of pandemics and endemics, from smallpox and the Spanish Flu to polio, Ebola and COVID-19, and discussed the unique moral and ethical challenges those in health care and leadership have faced during these periods.
“Anybody who's been in health care for the last three years knows that this is a historical event the likes of which we have never seen," Dr. Michael said. "I don't know if we're coming out of it now or not; I think most scientists are cautiously optimistic.”
To discuss the pandemic and bioethics, it is necessary to draw from multiple disciplines, including medicine, biology, ethics, philosophy, history and politics, said Dr. Michael, who also sits on the Cardinal's Medical Morals Committee for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Throughout the pandemic, those in the medical field faced difficult, and sometimes impossible ethical questions, Dr. Michael said, such as how to distribute and allocate scarce resources, the sacrifices of triaging patients, the ethics of vaccinations and of personal liberties.
Dr. Michael commended hospital ethics committees for their work during the pandemic's darkest days, and challenged those present not to forget the lessons learned.
“If I leave you with one important thing, it's to remember," Dr. Michael said. "It's to mark the history, mark the science. Remember how we did — what things worked and what things didn't. I don't know if we're at the end of COVID-19. Unfortunately, it does seem this will not be the last pandemic. But we should acknowledge the bravery of those who stepped up.”
Dr. Catherine Stark, OB-GYN, said health care workers sacrificed greatly during the first few difficult months of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding Christian caregivers let their faith shine through the difficult days.
“Christian health care workers set the tone for caring for others in the midst of all the difficulties and the risk,” Dr. Stark said. "The risk was unknown, but we showed up for work and we took care of our patients. I think it gave us a chance to practice our principles.”
Dr. Stark, who recently retired from her private medical practice, which she started in 1998, is now focusing on volunteer work as medical director at Crossroads Care Center in Auburn Hills.
Being a Christian practitioner in today's day and age isn't always easy, Dr. Stark said, especially as challenges to religious liberty become more common across the health care landscape.
“The external pressures have changed for sure. But the inner ethics and values haven’t changed," Dr. Stark said. "It has been a little more of a struggle to stay focused on what’s good and what’s right, especially being a pro-life OB-GYN. It has not been the easy path, nor the common path. I feel a real responsibility to set the tone for my younger partners and younger doctors that it is possible to follow your faith and practice medicine at the same time.”
For Dr. Stark's colleague, Dr. Sandra Morgan, OB-GYN, faith is essential now more than ever, which is why events such as the Rose Mass are important in building community among Christian health care practitioners.
“I think that at this point we have to rely so much on faith; faith has always been central to my practice of medicine, even more so in times of uncertainty,” Dr. Morgan said. “And it is so great to have this group of people who get together and support each other.”
Dr. Stark said she encourages doctors to join associations that will support them in their faith and medical practice, such as the Catholic Medical Association.
“You are not alone," Dr. Stark said. "If you have some challenges in your medical career and faith, reach out to others who have paved the path for you.”
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