In healthcare settings across the country, religious communities that once owned hospitals have sold their facilities to secular or other faith-based, non-Catholic organizations. This transition raises questions about how Catholic missions and values can continue without direct religious ownership. At Saint Mary’s Regional Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, one woman’s story exemplifies how Catholic healthcare remains vibrant.
Gretchen Gore’s journey into healthcare mission began through a personal relationship that would shape her career. “I was drawn to become a Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Associate (SCLA) through my friendship with Sister Barbara Aldrich, and I credit her with my call to the mission integration role,” she explains.
Becoming a Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Associate provided spiritual formation that would later inform her professional approach to healthcare administration at Saint Mary’s Regional Hospital, where she now serves as mission integration leader.
In her current role, Gore works to embed the hospital’s Catholic mission throughout its operations. “I would define mission integration as the intentional process of embedding Catholic mission and values into every aspect of our operations, decision-making, and culture,” she explains. This comprehensive approach includes orientation of new caregivers, formation with leaders, a robust ethics committee and ethics response team, and a values-based decision-making process for strategic decisions.
Although the Sisters of Charity no longer own Saint Mary’s Regional Hospital, their legacy continues through storytelling and celebration. “We share their stories. We have so many wonderful stories of our founding, we tell these stories at every orientation, our hospital birthday, and on November 11th every year as we celebrate Founder’s Day,” Gore explains.
Associate Identity Shapes Leadership
Gore’s formation as an SCLA influences her healthcare leadership philosophy. “The identity shapes my work in many ways, but especially in seeing Christ in the patients we care for,” she says. “I deeply believe in the Vincentian spirituality and trust in Divine providence. God is present in every encounter and challenge.”
This spiritual foundation translates into a leadership approach rooted in “serving others, humility, and a commitment to the poor and vulnerable,” while focusing on “the inherent dignity of every human life” and providing compassionate care that addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Living the Mission Through Leadership
As mission leader, Gore impacts institutional decisions through the lens of “Catholic Core Commitments (faith, love, service, and justice).” When facing complex choices, the hospital implements “Mission Due Diligence,” ensuring decisions align with Catholic values.
This mission-centered approach manifests in practical ways throughout Saint Mary’s operations: the Rose Hill Hospitality House provides housing for traveling families, memorial services support grieving parents, and partnerships with organizations like Project CURE and Toilet Equity extend care to the vulnerable—examples of how Gore’s mission role influences the hospital’s commitment to serve “especially the poor and vulnerable.”
Sustaining Catholic Mission in Secular Settings
“As SCLAs, we can and should continue to be the prophetic voice that challenges systems when we see injustice,” she says.
Her vision for lasting impact centers on maintaining visible Catholic values in healthcare delivery. “I hope that my legacy is one that others see as an ongoing presence of the Catholic values and compassionate care that is central to whole person care,” she says. The hospital’s mission remains “to reveal and foster God’s healing love by improving the health of the people and communities we serve, especially the poor and vulnerable.”
Working in hospital mission integration, Gore demonstrates how non-vowed lay people can assure Catholic identity and values in complex institutional settings even after ownership changes.
This article appeared in the 2025 Summer Edition of Voices of Charity.
