Hope you enjoyed the Labor Day weekend and are getting “back in the saddle,” as children go back to school and families re-establish the disciplined rhythms of the academic year. Many updates to bring you, as our St. John Neumann Guild continues to grow our community and to brainstorm ways to support, enrich, and encourage the lives of our members.
Board Updates: in light of Joe Schrandt and Mary McCrossan’s retirements, three new Board members were elected last month: Maria DeMario, DO, Kaitlin McCann PA-C, and Kevin Bell, MD. Maria is a family medicine doctor in private practice in Delaware County, Kaitlin has worked in a pro-life GYN practice, and is taking a hiatus from medicine to care for her husband and children. Kevin is a hospitalist at Temple University Hospital. Their bios will be available on our website next week.
Maria DeMario, DO
Kaitlin McCann PA-C
Kevin Bell, MD
The St. John Neumann Guild Board unanimously voted to endorse the Pennsylvania Coalition to Stop Doctor-Prescribed Suicide. Their home page lists a wide variety of organizations involved in this coalition, including the PA Catholic Conference, NCBC, and other Catholic entities. In our survey on CME topics in June, two of the top 3 rated topics focus on palliative care, end of life and organ donation.
At the other end of life, the National Right to Life and other county-level news outlets have reported on Pennsylvania’s 502-page proposed rule change for the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH)—the first update in 25 years. A portion of the rule focuses on contact tracing for infectious diseases, but it could also include conversations about reproductive health. (It is noted that Governor Shapiro has publicly declared his support at all levels for abortion access.) Elements of the proposed rule include:
- Expanding the authority of the Department of Health and local health agencies to enter any home, school, apartment, healthcare facility or other building without a warrant. (p. 66, p. 208-209.)
- Giving the Department of Health the power to speak to a student in private without the consent or knowledge of a parent, and making it illegal for anyone to “interfere.” (p. 66-67, p. 211.)
- Giving the Department of Health greater authority to access a private citizen’s health records. (See p. 67, p. 192.)
- Requiring healthcare providers to input every vaccination into a mandatory statewide government database. (See p. 60-61, p. 199-200.)
- Allowing the Department of Health to unilaterally issue statewide mask mandates and other disease mitigation measures. (See p. 65, p. 206-207.)
These changes could potentially impact students and those seeking care from pregnancy resource centers, and could displace parents, teachers, and other health care professionals and counselors from these conversations. The deadline for comments is Monday, September 21st. You can email your comments before September 21st to irrc@irrc.state.pa.us or RA-DHCHAPTR27PROPREG@pa.gov and be sure to reference “Rulemaking #10-242: Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases; IRRC #3490”
Coming Events
The National Catholic Medical Association Annual Meeting is this week from September 10-12 in Phoenix, AZ. If you are not able to attend, we plan to make presentations from the Conference available with CME credit later this year. Stay tuned.
The Annual St. Luke’s Mass for our St. John Neumann Guild will be held on Sunday October 18th, 2026 at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in center city Philadelphia. Mass is at 11 AM and will be followed by brunch in St. Katharine Drexel Hall (same campus). Our Keynote Speaker this year is Dr. Nicola Ogle, who will speak on: “Virtue and the Practice of Medicine in the Age of AI.” You can register here: https://neumannguild.org/event/annual-st-lukes-mass-2026 or scan the QR code below. Please tell a friend about the St. John Neumann CMA Guild of Philadelphia, and join your colleagues in your white coat.
The Relics of St. Bernadette will travel across the United States throughout 2026–27, inviting hundreds of thousands to experience the hope, healing, and enduring message of Lourdes.
You are invited to join this Journey of Grace and open your heart to God’s healing grace through the intercession of Mary. The relics of St. Bernadette will visit the Malvern Retreat House and Villanova University’s campus September 26th through the 29th. There are retreats along with exposition of the relics at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in the Overbrook section of Philadelphian October 2nd through the 4th. The full route of the relics of St. Bernadette and links to details at each site is available at: https://bernadette-usa.lourdes-france.com/ip.php?pg=St-Bernadete-Relics-Tour-Map
Did you know?
Our Guild has a membership to the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), a national leader in ethics education and consultation. Access for our members to Ethics and Medics (twice monthly review of current ethics topics) and all of the resources of the NCBC are available to us via password. Our username is: presneumannguild. Please email president@neumannguild.org for the password.
We now have our own YouTube site, SJN Media. This platform allows us to curate presentations by Catholic Medical Association members and colleagues in the professions of medicine, philosophy, religion and ethics. We hope that over time, we can add podcasts and webinars developed by members our Guild. Check out the initial collection here: St. John Neumann Guild You Tube channel
This month’s Spotlight
Lauren Bracken, med student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
Lauren was our 2026 Catholic Medical Association Boot Camp Scholarship recipient. She recently reflected on her Boot Camp experience and how she will integrate what she learned there into her medical training:
“As I was discerning my future of attending medical school, I participated in a pilgrimage in
Italy following the life of Pier Giorgio Frassati. During that trip, his words deeply resonated with me: “What wealth it is to be in good health. We have the duty of putting our health at the service of those who do not have it.” Reflecting on this quote and the rest of that experience, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Beyond pursuing a medical career, I desire to integrate my Catholic faith into my vocation as a physician. During my first year of medical school, I realized how challenging this can be at times because of demanding schedules, academic pressure, stress, and secular environments. I pursued the CMA Bootcamp to build the practices and knowledge to keep God at the center of my daily life and work. I have been searching for opportunities to grow spiritually alongside others who share similar professional goals and values, and this seemed the perfect chance to learn from mentors, physicians, and religious leaders. Amid secular pressures and the challenging topics we face in medicine, I wanted to deepen my understanding of the dignity of the human person, the true meaning of health, and the role faith can play in patient care to stay true to my faith during school and beyond. I am beyond grateful to have attended the bootcamp. The sessions provided me with the knowledge and guidance to do just that. As we dove into several topics, I gained a better understanding of how the church views health and healing. I now feel more equipped to care for patients of all backgrounds and beliefs, and feel more prepared to handle difficult conversations in the hospital about topics such as fertility and end-of-life care. I know faith and medicine may present challenges, but the lessons and relationships I made during the week will serve as a foundation for me to continue to grow in my faith throughout my medical training.”
From the President
Reflecting on Labor Day and the Rise of Socialism
Until I researched it, I had not realized that Labor Day was established in 1882 after a nation-wide labor strike against the Pullman Company, maker of railroad sleeping cars, over pay cuts and unfair home rental rates. At the time, railroads were “king” and workers had few rights. The conflict shut down all railroad traffic—both freight and passenger—and turned violent when national troops were sent to break up the strike. To appease furious labor unions and heal the political rift after the violent crackdown, President Grover Cleveland and Congress rushed through legislation to make Labor Day a national holiday shortly before the strike ended. While the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed in 1890, it took a decade more before additional reforms were instituted during Theodore Roosevelt’s administration that reduced the grip that oil and railroad barons had on had politics at every level. Two additional major antitrust acts (Clayton and Federal Trade Commission Act) put greater teeth in the government’s ability to prevent monopolies and unfair methods of competition.
Connection to Rerum Novarum
Pope Leo XII issued the encyclical Rerum Novarum (“On New Things”) in 1891, to address the rights and duties of capital and labor and to find a middle ground between unbridled capitalism and rising socialism. Pope Leo rejected socialism and collectivism, as he asserted that owning property was a human right. He strongly condemned the greed of industrial capitalism that left the working masses “little better than that of slavery itself.” The pontiff championed the rights of workers to form trade unions, receive a living wage, and have safe working conditions. He also asserted that governments had a moral duty to intervene in the economy to protect the poor and vulnerable when necessary.
The Challenges of Raw Capitalism and Socialism.
Raw capitalism fails when it does not recognize in workers the dignity of the human person, workers’ contributions and needs. In other words, greed overcomes a commitment to fairness and social justice. While socialism seeks to promise equality and justice, it does so by entrusting more power to the State, which has its own ideologic and bureaucratic biases about the human person—and tends to stifle human ingenuity, the motivation to work hard, and personal freedom which is often tied to political and economic freedom.
In his book The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism (a highly recommended read, available for $12.77 at https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Democratic-Capitalism), Michael Nowak argues that “democratic capitalism” is not just an economic engine, but a pluralistic system comprised of 3 interdependent power centers:
- An economic sector centered on free markets, private property, and individual incentives
- A political sector rooted in democracy, constitutional law, and limited government, and
- A moral-cultural sector that is pluralistic, community-focused, and ethically driven.
One could look at this as a three-legged stool that stands well only when the 3 legs are well balanced. To me, the best way to describe “Democratic Capitalism” is “Capitalism with heart.” At an individual and team level, many Catholic healthcare professionals integrate these concepts with the care of patients using the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy (Benedictine University, On the Works of Mercy). I’ve found it helpful to review these a few times a year to reinforce my call to mission.
Next month, we’ll take a look at The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism in the contexts of being employed within a large health system, Catholic Social Teaching, and Conscience.
