Patricia Long had just returned from the
Philippines and was looking for an OB/GYN when her husband read about a
pro-life doctor in the Catholic Herald — Dr. John
Bruchalski. Though he was practicing in Maryland, Bruchalski told Long that he
was about to start a practice in Northern Virginia. “Of course, there was no
other option, we had to go with Dr. B,” she said. Long’s daughter, Elizabeth,
was the first baby Bruchalski delivered at Tepeyac.
Elizabeth, her parents, her siblings and
many other Tepeyac patients celebrated the practice’s 25th anniversary with
Mass and a reception at St. Veronica Church in Chantilly Dec. 14.
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The morning Mass was celebrated by
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge along with several diocesan priests. In his homily,
Bishop Burbidge thanked the health care workers, benefactors and all those
associated with Tepeyac. “All of you through the practice of medicine help to
embody our Catholic faith because as your mission statement says, you work to
restore the integrity of the human person,” he said. “Through the compassionate
care that you extend to individuals and families, you reflect that prayer that
we sang today: ‘I praise you, Lord, for I am wonderfully made.’ ”
Tepeyac OB/GYN, originally Tepeyac
Family Center, began after Bruchalski felt called to practice medicine in line
with his Catholic faith. That meant offering natural family planning in lieu of
birth control, providing emotional and physical comfort to families of unborn
babies with a fatal prenatal diagnosis, and serving both the poor and those
able to afford medical care. “Whatever work we do, if we help unite it to the
church, and make (our faith) more than just a Sunday obligation — oh my, the
joy and the happiness,” he said.
Bruchalski credits his wife, Carolyn,
and the early support of Arlington Bishop John R. Keating and Bob Laird, former
diocesan director of Family Life, for getting Tepeyac off the ground.
Arlington’s bishops, priests and laypeople have provided ongoing and invaluable
support throughout the years, he said. When asked how he felt about the past 25
years, Bruchalski expressed his gratitude to the diocese. “We could not have
done anything that we did without them.”
