Sr. Sheila Langton receives the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from Daniel Lussier, Chair of the Governing Council
BY LOUISE SLOBODIAN
“At the heart of all her efforts there is a central vision: to serve the needs of the most vulnerable.”
That’s how Sr. Sheila Langton was described as she was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada (CHAC).
At a ceremony April 30, Sr. Sheila was honoured for her decades of work in Catholic health care as an able administrator, generous mentor, and as someone with the foresight to ensure Catholic institutions thrived in the transfer from the religious congregations who founded them.
“She was instrumental in the establishment of lay public juridic persons across Canada when these structures were still unknown and untested,” says her citation. “(Sr. Sheila) guided the formation of Providence Healthcare, Vancouver; the Alberta Catholic Health Corporation (now Catholic Health of Alberta); Catholic Health Ministry of Saskatchewan; and the Catholic Health Corporation of Ontario.”
When it was her turn to speak, Sr. Sheila was reflective and humble, noting that as interesting as the last 25 years has been, “We, Sisters of Providence, have never had to work alone.”
“I had the opportunity to work with very experienced and dedicated volunteers on the various Boards and professional and skilled leadership teams in our institutions. These women and men are the pioneers today in this work of the Church.”
Sr. Sheila deflected the personal honour, saying, “I want to receive this award in the name of my beloved Congregation, the Sisters of Providence, and also in the name of all the dedicated women and men who have worked tirelessly and generously to continue the Catholic healthcare ministry in Canada.”
She ended her speech with a well-favoured TIP: “Trust in Providence and – I bid you to Walk in Hope.”