Berg: Hope for Pueblo
Last weekend I was privileged to participate in the induction of three new members to the Pueblo Community College Hall of Fame. In this award’s 31st year, PCC has recognized 90 individuals, outstanding for their support of higher education and service to the Pueblo community. Congratulations to the newest members: Ralph Williams, Mike Cafasso, and especially to the family of our beloved Scott Richards of blessed memory, whose loss, presence, and gifts we mourn.
The collaboration of these three with PCC was crucial to the development of a new, unprecedented initiative which will shape and build the future of Pueblo. On January 26, following a major fundraising campaign to enhance healthcare education, the new PCC Nursing & Allied Health Teaching and Learning Center was officially opened on the St. Mary Corwin Hospital Campus. Mike Cafasso, CEO of St Mary Corwin, was instrumental in engineering the new relationship of the two institutions, crucial to this project. Ralph Williams, retired from the insurance industry, worked to secure the collaboration of the Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority to address the interests of healthy advancement for the greater community. Scott Richards was the quiet motivator, the PCC tech and communications expert who inspired and energized, one little step at a time, a fund-raising campaign of more than $15 million to ensure scholarships and maintenance for the new program in perpetuity.
When I reflect on the virtue of Hope, I see that it is placed somewhere between the virtues of Faith and Love. To begin, Faith is defined roughly as where you show up, not just in the mind or the feelings, but where your belief is important enough to compel your presence; Faith is where you plant your feet, literally. The virtue of Love, as Jesus teaches, is an action verb, not merely a feeling. As Faith is symbolized by where the feet stand, Love is symbolized by where the hands reach out, doing something to help others. Somewhere between these two is the virtue of Hope, the most human of the virtues, which involves active listening, discerning, collaborating, and most importantly designing a bridge for the future. Our Faith, inspired by our Hope, leads to greater Love, which leads to greater Faith, which leads to greater Hope, etc. etc. In following Jesus and his teachings in Faith, Hope and Love, we are journeying on the road to Heaven. Hope brings us to take the little steps. God takes care of the rest.
This initiative is in response to unprecedented skills gaps in Nursing, Medical Assistants, Certified Nursing Assistants, Respiratory Care Technicians, Radiological Technicians, Surgery Technicians, Occupational Therapy Technicians, and others. More than 1,000 students are enrolled and expected to increase — and with student housing under consideration for students all over Colorado and other states — the best is yet to come. A unique opportunity for students to put on scrubs and learn the dynamics of health care on-site at a working hospital! A unique opportunity for Pueblo to step forward anew into the healthcare and healing industry. The economic impact to Pueblo is projected to yield an estimated $20 million in additional wages and benefits in the years to come. Great for the students, great for PCC, great for St Mary Corwin, great for the Bessemer community, great for Pueblo!
Finally, and most importantly: Hope, as the most human virtue, means constant prayer. The lives of the three men and families honored, as well as so many involved in this project, are marked as lives of prayer. Prayer, in active and energized Hope, will accomplish great things. Giving thanks to God, we see Hope For Pueblo!
The Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg is the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Pueblo
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Berg: Hope for Pueblo
