Mary Berchmans Daly: Moral Exemplar for Leaders in Catholic Health Care

Mother Mary Berchmans Daly, an Australian Sister of Charity, founded St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne in 1893. This article argues that there are lessons from Berchmans as a leadership exemplar for leaders of Catholic health systems today. It focuses on such systems in the USA, Canada, and Australia. The article proceeds in three parts. First, it provides an overview of the context for Catholic health care systems today, with particular focus on the nuanced and ethically salient questions leaders of these systems face. Second, it offers detail about Berchmans’ life and ministry, focusing on her exemplary qualities as leader of a Catholic health system, considering how these yield practical moral guidance for today’s leaders of Catholic health systems. Finally, the article turns to Linda Zagzebski’s theory of exemplarist ethics. The “exemplar before theory” methodology of the article reflects Zagzebski’s approach, which holds that direct engagement with moral exemplars yields normative moral insights at a level prior to theory and is a practical method to support and develop moral reasoning. Noting resonances between Zagzebski’s approach and Catholic theological ethics, I use it to illustrate why reflecting on exemplars like Berchmans offers important and nuanced moral guidance for leaders of Catholic health systems today.