Patricia Ann Cahill

Pat was recognized as a visionary, mission-driven leader in Catholic health care for more than 40 years. Among her many accomplishments was serving as the first president and chief executive officer of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), Denver, CO, the country’s largest Catholic health system. With health care facilities located in 20 states, CHI was a pioneer in the development of a new sponsorship and governance model in Catholic health care between women religious congregations and lay people that has since been adopted by many Catholic health organizations across the U.S.

Her career also included working as the director of health and hospitals for the Archdiocese of New York. During that time, she developed the Alliance for Catholic Health and Human Services, an affiliation of 43 Catholic hospitals with 15 religious sponsors that worked on collaborative programs.

Pat served in financial and leadership positions at the Association of University Programs in Health Administration in Washington, D.C.; as the vice president of government relations at the Catholic Health Association; and as the president of Calvary Hospital, a palliative care specialty hospital in the Bronx.

Among her many contributions included serving on the boards of Mutual of America; Covenant Health System, Lexington, MA; Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health (SCL Health), KS; Hospice and Palliative Care of Cape Cod, Hyannis; Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ; the Catholic Health Association, Washington, DC; St. Joseph’s Hospital, Patterson, NJ; the former Sisters of Mercy Health System, Farmington Hills, MI; the former Franciscan Health System, Aston, PA; the West Barnstable Fire Department and Cape Symphony, Hyannis. Pat was a member of the American Association of the Order of Malta. She was inducted into the Health Care Hall of Fame in 2009.

Pat was known for her unique ability to recognize and foster talent in people. She made lifelong friends wherever she went -- friends who she would hold close to her heart -- and still does. The stories of her humor, warmth, loyalty, and kindness abound.

Born in April 1938 to Everett and Catherine (Keeler) Cahill of Boston, Pat graduated from Emmanuel College and taught French in Newton, MA, before joining the Job Corps in Washington, D.C. She earned a law degree from George Washington University.

Pat is predeceased by her parents and her brother Francis. She is survived by her brother John, and his wife Jacki; niece Amy (Cahill) Lee and her husband Michael; nephew Jay Cahill and his wife Suzanne; grandnieces Allyson and Sammy Lee, Amelia and Hailey Cahill, and grandnephew Theo Cahill.

Pat was a woman of fabulous professional accomplishment, of incredible generosity, and well-traveled. In her life she valued her family, her friends, and her faith in God -- and she was enormously loved.

The family will receive friends at the Doane, Beal, and Ames Funeral Home, 160 West Main Street in Hyannis, from 4 to 8 pm on Sunday, October 10, 2021. A Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Victory Parish, 230 South Main Street in Centerville, MA, at 11 am on Monday, October 11, 2021. The Mass will be live-streamed (https://olvparish.org/livestream).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Pat’s memory to the McCarthy Care Center, 73 Service Road, East Sandwich, MA 02537.