In today's podcast, we connect with Marie Romagnano, MSN, RN, CCM-R, a retired trauma nurse who founded Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy over 20 years ago. This ministry, an official apostolate of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, offers nurses, physicians, and other allied health professionals a unique program of professional formation that integrates the spirituality and devotional elements of the Divine Mercy message into patient care.

Our conversation today spans the topics of the ministry as mentioned above, as well as the conference, and also how to pray for the dying, wherever we are. Marie discusses the development of this ministry over the years, and how to spread the message of Divine Mercy and live your faith as a healthcare professionals.

The program of spiritual and professional formation for the Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy includes:

• The annual Divine Mercy Medicine, Bioethics, and Spirituality Conference for medical professionals that offers academic credit and is available on DVD; (when you complete the form, we will send you information to register for the upcoming conference)
• A concise handbook: "Nursing with the Hands of Jesus: A Guide for Nurses to Divine Mercy." It offers 8 CEUs for nurses and includes the Nursing Spiritual Assessment and Care Plan following Joint Commission guidelines (many people do not know that spiritually assessing patients goes beyond just asking them what religion they are, and doing it is part of the guidelines for a healthcare institution's accreditation);
• Annual Healthcare Professionals Retreat; and
• Other events created specifically for Healthcare Professionals.

The Divine Mercy Medicine, Bioethics, and Spirituality Conference

I'm so impressed by the conference that Marie runs, and would recommend it to all healthcare professionals. In our conversation, Marie shares about what to expect at this year’s upcoming conference, taking place at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy on June 5-7, 2024.

Goals of the Conference

This year marks the 19th annual conference. Our goals include educating healthcare professionals on Church teachings, guiding decision-making in patient care, providing spiritual nourishment, and offering direction in facing bio-ethical dilemmas. This year we will include a half day retreat as part of the 3-day conference.

Esteemed Speakers

Renowned speakers include The Most Rev. Robert J McManus, DD, STD, Bishop of Worcester, Mass., and Past Chairperson of the Committee on Education for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Other speakers include Superior General Father Joseph Roesch, MIC; Father Chris Alar, MIC; Doctor Robin Goldsmith; and Doctor Ronald Sobecks, among others.

Healthcare professionals interested in attending can register at TheDivineMercy.org/healthcare. Join us in embracing the Divine Mercy devotion and delivering care with love and compassion.