Why is the Oates Institute involved in Health Ministries?
The concept and practice of Health Ministries powerfully intersects with the mission of the Wayne E. Oates Institute. As an interdisciplinary learning community the Oates Institute is committed to advancing care of the whole person. We believe that healing ultimately occurs when there is a healthy relationship with one’s self, others, creation and God as the source of divine love. The Oates Institute’s mission is built on the tradition of Wayne E. Oates. Out of his experience as a “wounded healer,” Dr. Oates had a tremendous capacity to empathize with others. Fully human, and aware of what it meant to experience chronic pain, depression, loneliness, abandonment, rage, anger and anxiety, Wayne Oates developed a life-giving capacity to sit with others and be present to the feelings of another. In his autobiography, The Struggle To Be Free, Wayne Oates explains that his compassion was a result of his deep gratitude for the grace he had experienced in his own life. As a nationally respecte
