The story of the Australian Catholic Medical Association began in 1934 when the Catholic Guild of St Luke held its first meeting at St John's College, the University of Sydney, on April 22nd of that year. The following year a similar meeting was held in Melbourne to institute its own local Guild of St Luke and since then other Australian states established their own state guilds, including Queensland, Sth Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia.
Other than in NSW, which has maintained a continuous presence since its inception, other states have experienced periods of quiescence and revivals along the way. Over the last decade or so the various state organisations and their leadership have developed close ties and a desire to create a national association has been a long sought ambition.
So in November 2017 it was a great blessing for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference to unanimously support and endorse the establishment of the first National Australian Catholic Medical Association.
This initiative, for the first time, brings together under an umbrella organisation, state Catholic Medical Associations, formerly known as Guilds of St Luke. The state organisations currently involved include; New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Western Australia and Tasmania are currently in the process of reviving their associations and we hope they will be a part of the National Association in the near future.
In establishing this new Association a decision was made to expand the membership categories to include other healthcare professionals, whilst remaining a doctor-led organisation.
The Association aims to support, inform and inspire its members to live and work in fidelity with the teachings of the Catholic Church and to uphold the principles of the Catholic faith in the science and practice of medicine.
We are interested in the intellectual and spiritual formation of Catholic health professionals and students and in providing a supportive environment to explore, question and deepen their understanding of the Catholic tradition and its faith and how this relates to the ethical practice of health care.
We hope to provide a forum for students and young doctors, as well as other health professionals, to mix with more senior medical practitioners, providing an opportunity for mentorship, encouragement and be a source of confidence in their Faith.
We aim to proclaim the inherent dignity of all human beings and promote the Church’s teachings on healthcare and bioethical issues which are based on this fundamental claim.
We welcome the membership of all who endorse the aims and objectives of our Association, under the various membership categories, and look forward to a long and productive future of service to all involved, as well as to the wider community.