CUSA: A Ministry of Connection Text by Susan Hines-Brigger | Photography by Diego B. Pisante
People with chronic illnesses or disabilities often find themselves isolated. This ministry helps them to connect with others dealing with the same challenges. HUMAN CONNECTION is an essential part of life. For people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, though, sometimes that connection can be harder to find. That was the case for Laure Brunner. Homebound due to congestive heart failure, Brunner sought companionship with others in the same situation as hers. When she lived in Belgium, she found that connection through l’Union Catholique des Malades (The Catholic Union of the Sick). However, when she and her husband moved to the United States in 1939 due to World War II, she lost that support. Some of the members from her previous group, with whom she stayed in touch, encouraged her to start a similar group in the United States. But when she approached a number of priests about the idea, she found no assistance. That is, until she contacted Father Thomas Finn of Massachusetts. He encouraged Brunner to establish the group and also agreed to become its first spiritual
advisor. And so, on December 8, 1947—the feast of the Immaculate Conception—Group I of CUSA (The Catholic Union of Sick Associates) was established.
FIGHTING AGAINST ISOLATION CUSA is an apostolate of persons with chronic illness or disability, meaning that the members themselves take an active part in the ministry. Each member, or CUSAN, is a part of at least one round-robin letter that circulates among no more than eight people. Each group chooses a patron, a motto, and an intention for which they offer their prayers and suffering. In addition to the correspondence, each CUSAN also prays a common morning offering and prays for the members of his or her CUSA family. By uniting themselves with the crucified Savior, members participate in what the Church calls “redemptive suffering.” In the correspondence, CUSANs share events
This article appeared in the June 2023 issue of St. Anthony Messenger magazine and is used with permission. Photographs used with permission from Diego B. Pisante.