Health professionals contemplate ‘imago Dei’

By Reta Khairy

More than 80 Catholic allied health professionals gathered simultaneously at one of four Australian locations for a spiritually rich and professionally grounding retreat titled ‘Hope in the Imago Dei.’

Co-hosted by the Raphael Network and the Australian Catholic Medical Association (ACMA), the Jubilee Year of Hope-inspired event welcomed doctors, psychologists, social workers, counsellors, therapists, and other health professionals who share a desire to integrate Catholic faith with their professional vocations.

The Sydney retreat was led by Bishop Anthony Percy, with the others run in Melbourne, Hobart, and Perth.

The bishop’s opening session, on the nature of hope, invited attendees to reflect on hope not as mere optimism, but as a theological virtue rooted in Christ and initiated in our baptism.

Christian hope makes health professionals credible witnesses, able to offer a smile, a listening ear, or a kind gesture that becomes, in the Spirit of Jesus, a seed of transformation, Bishop Percy said.

The retreat included Mass and a shared meal, and time for silent prayer, Eucharistic adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, offering space for personal renewal within a context of professional formation.

In the second session, ‘The Imago Dei’, attendees contemplated the profound truth that every human person is created in the image and likeness of God—a truth underpinning the ethical and spiritual dimensions of Catholic healthcare.

One of the most moving and intellectually stimulating moments came through Francine Pirola’s presentation on the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.

She shared powerful scientific insights into the Shroud of Turin history, including recent studies using 3D imaging, pollen analysis, and radiographic methods that suggest its origins align with first-century Jerusalem.

Francine also brought a full-size replica of the Shroud for attendees to view, a moment that stirred silent awe and contemplation.

For many, this tangible connection to Christ’s Passion added emotional and spiritual depth to the retreat, reinforcing our shared call to serve others as reflections of the suffering and risen Christ.

The final session, ‘Being the Image of Hope’, challenged professionals to become visible signs of God’s hope in a culture marked by secularism, moral confusion, and emotional burnout.

“We are not living in an era of change, but a change of era,” Bishop Percy noted. “Are we placing our faith in Christ’s promises, stirring hope and purpose in our journey ahead?”
Attendee Rosette Chidiac found the retreat nourishing.

“Being a Catholic therapist in a secular world brings many challenges, and it’s always rejuvenating to sit amongst fellow Catholic therapists who value the whole human in their practices,” she said.

Cecilia McCabe travelled from Canberra for the event.

“Opportunities like this help us as clinicians to consolidate faith and science”, she said.

In a time when the dignity of the human person is often obscured, Hope in the Imago Dei served as a reminder that Catholic health professionals are not alone.

United by faith, they are called to be bearers of hope and witnesses to the beauty and healing power of the human person—body, mind, and soul.

Reta Khairy is a member of the St Raphael Network and founder of Serenity Counselling and Psychotherapy Services