Who We Are

A Letter from Tom Moreland, CEO

To our clients and families,

I want to thank you for putting your trust in Saint Jude Hospice. Not one of the hundreds of caregivers has taken this opportunity to serve you for granted. We realize this is a difficult time; our goal is to bring love, comfort, and healing into your home. While there may not be a cure, healing is always attainable. Perhaps the doctor told you there is no medical cure—that does not mean you stop hoping and praying. Your hope is redirected from cure to healing.

Saint Jude Hospice is a Catholic organization that follows the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. It is an organization inspired by Jesus’ words: “Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34. At Saint Jude Hospice, we serve all people. “Saint Jude”, also known as Thaddeus, is one of the original 12 apostles, who loved all, served all, and did it with great joy. Saint Jude is often seen as the patron saint of desperate cases, as someone to turn to when there is no one else. We hope you turn to Saint Jude Hospice when you feel alone, vulnerable, and discouraged. The name “Jude” means “giver of joy” while the name Thaddeus means “generous and kind.” I couldn’t think of a better Saint to represent our staff and organization.

Through our “Radical Loving Care” philosophy, we are “givers of joy” and “generous and kind.” In fact these qualities are represented in our core values: Outstanding Customer Service; Integrity in our Activities; Nothing is Impossible with God; Kindness in our Relationships; and Excellence in Everything. We have all known pain and suffering that comes from hardships in life. In times such as these, Saint Jude and Saint Jude Hospice is one of the “great cloud of witnesses.”

In the letter by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, To Live Each Day with Dignity, it states: “…Many people fear the dying process. They are afraid of being kept alive past life’s natural limits by burdensome medical technology. They fear experiencing intolerable pain and suffering…they worry about being abandoned or becoming a burden on others.” However they go onto say: “A caring community devotes more attention, not less, to members facing the most vulnerable times in their lives. When most people are tempted to see their own lives diminish in value or meaning, they most need the love and assistance of others to assure them of their inherent worth.” That is why I founded Saint Jude Hospice—it is a vocation, for me, to make sure no one ever feels unloved or worthless. Through our hospice program, we can bring love and assistance to assure them of their inherent worth.

The letter goes on to say “The healing art of medicine is an important part of assistance. Even when a is not possible, medicine plays a critical role in providing “palliative care”—alleviating pain and other symptoms and meeting basic needs. Such care should combine medical skill with attention to the emotional as well as spiritual needs of the facing the end of life.”

“Our society should embrace what Pope John Paul II called “the way of love and true mercy”—a readiness to surround patients with love, support and companionship, providing the assistance need to ease their physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering.

As Founder and CEO of Saint Jude Hospice, I assure you we take these words of the late Holy Father very seriously. We are ready to surround our patients with love, support, and companionship in this most difficult and vulnerable time.

May God bless you and your family; our patients, families and caregivers are in my prayers daily.

Tom Moreland