To Father Columba, a Dominican friar and physician, and Dianne Marie Johnson, a retired oncology nurse, believes that faith and healthcare go hand in hand.
Johnson told “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley during an interview airing at 9 p.m. Sept. 13 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, about the founding of Curatio, an organization that strives to help sanctify healthcare workers in their daily duties.
“The word Curatio means healing, and it means healing from the heart,” Johnson said. “We strive to heal from the heart of Christ. What we have, what I have discovered in my own personal life and witness, was I didn’t have a prayer life. I wasn’t in a good relationship with our Lord, and I was trying to do it by myself and for a short period of time after about 15, 16 years of nursing, I said I’m out of here. God has his ways, and I came back against my wishes. And it was through that journey back I learned what was necessary.”
Johnson said that all of Curatio’s volunteers have learned through building community that curation works.
“Christ works through us by having a relationship with him, by identifying with him,” Johnson said. “I can sacrifice this for the sake of taking care of our Lord.”
Johnson called healthcare an exalted profession because it is Christ’s mission. Curatio hopes to help healthcare workers find time to incorporate prayer into their busy work schedules.
“We can’t pray incessantly in our work, which is why we strive to cut out these periods of time where they can go and be silent and listen to what God is trying to say,” Johnson said.
Father Columba said what drew him into healthcare was the challenge to become a better person.
“The theological way of putting it is to say that it challenges us to grow in virtue and ideally in the life of Grace,” Father Columba said. “I think it’s a lifelong process. It’s a challenge. It requires continuous growth in our relationship with Christ, but that’s why I’m so grateful for the Curatio Apostolate and the excellent work they do.”
To hear more from Johnson and Father Columba about the work of Curatio Apostolate, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Sept. 14 and 2 p.m. Sept. 15.
The program also includes an interview with Bishop Michael Izen about the Trinity Woods Catholic Retreat Center in Trego, Wisconsin. Also, Will Cossairt and Autumn Higashi celebrate Elevate Life’s 50th anniversary and its mission.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
