Common Ground: Where Faith and Medicine Meet in New Orleans

Article By: Archbishop James F. Checchio

Having arrived in New Orleans in November, it has been beautiful to learn about this

wonderful city and region! It has been a joy to meet the people and attend the many

events that make our local Church and community so vibrant.

Recently, I was introduced to Dr. Emmet Chapital who in turn shared with me the good

news of the Orleans Parish Medical Society which I certainly want to commend. The

Society, since 1878, has been a voice of and advocate for the medical profession in the

Greater New Orleans area for the benefit of patients and the community, and has been

a primary proponent of the ethical practice of medicine.

Interestingly, some may not be aware that it was the Catholic Church that founded the

first hospital and a Catholic nun who was the first pharmacist in New Orleans. The

Ursuline Sisters came to New Orleans in 1727, 300 years ago next year, and founded

the Royal Hospital on the grounds of what we now call the Old Ursuline Convent in the

French Quarter. A few years later, Sr. Francis Xavier Hebert joined the community in

New Orleans with the charge of apothecary – using nature, plants and herbs, in the

treatment of the sick. A garden was grown on the site to aid in providing crucial medical

care to settlers, soldiers, and enslaved people. A replica of that garden exists today on

the grounds of Ursuline Academy to keep that memory and legacy alive.

Through the years, the presence and ministry of the Catholic Church in medicine have

been inseparable. I actually just saw Dr. Chapital at the Gala fundraiser for Ascension

DePaul Foundation New Orleans (ADFNO) (formerly Daughters of Charity Foundation

of New Orleans).  I learned there of the fond memories and generations of families that

were cared for by the Daughters of Charity at Charity Hospital. The Gala and

Foundation support the beautiful work of the DePaul Community Health Centers which

strive to improve the health status of our community, continuing the Sisters, Daughters

of Charity health Ministry. 

The United States Catholic Bishops first wrote and published the Ethical and Religious

Directives for Catholic Health Care Services in 1948.  This issue was of such great

importance that it has been revised several times, most recently in 2025. One part of

the directives is on “Social Responsibility” and states that the “Catholic health care

ministry is rooted in a commitment to promote and defend human dignity… an inherent

and inviolable dignity that every person possesses, grounded in his or her very being.

This dignity is the foundation for respecting the sacredness of every human life from the moment of conception until death. The first right of the human person—the right to

life—entails a right to the means necessary for the proper development of life, including adequate health care.”

In our region, access to health care can be a challenge, especially for the unemployed

or underemployed. Low-income neighborhoods often have limited clinic availability and can also have transportation barriers for getting to clinics. I hope our local church and Catholic ministries throughout the area, such as Ascension DePaul Foundation, can join with the Orleans Parish Medical Society in advocating for expanded mobile clinics and community outreach programs that provide not just emergency care but primary care, pediatric care , and preventive care to address both the health care and spiritual care of men, women, and children in our area – particularly those who are most vulnerable.

As a new comer to the area, I am happy to see such organizations here, striving to care

for all in our community and I hope that our Archdiocese can continue to contribute!

Archbishop James F. Checchio

Archbishop James F. Checchio was born on April 21, 1966, and grew up in Collingswood, New Jersey. He attended Catholic elementary school and high school

before being sent to St. Pius X Seminary and the University of Scranton, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1988. He received priestly formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome while earning a theology degree from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He

was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey on June 20, 1992. As a priest of the Diocese of Camden, Archbishop Checchio served in several parishes and chancery roles and earned both a Doctorate in Canon Law and a Master of Business Administration.

In 2003, he was appointed vice-rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. In 2006, he was promoted to rector. Ten years later, in 2016, Pope Francis appointed Monsignor Checchio as the fifth Bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey.  Bishop Checchio served the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as chairman of the Committee on Consecrated Life, Clergy and Vocations and also served as Treasurer for the USCCB. In addition to a variety of national committees for Catholic institutions, Bishop also serves as a member of the Papal Foundation. 

Additionally, Pope Leo XIV nominated Bishop as a Member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV named the Most Reverend James Checchio as Coadjutor Archbishop of New Orleans and his Mass of Welcome was on November 18, 2025 and on February 11, 2026, he became the 15th  Archbishop of New Orleans.