Morning Star OB/GYN celebrated 20 years of providing holistic and life-affirming reproductive care to women in Gilbert, Ariz., on Monday (Sept. 29) with Mass at the Mercy Gilbert Medical Center chapel. Dr. Clint Leonard, founder of the practice, and Dr. Erica Kreller, his colleague, provide medical care that combines respect for fertility with unique technology that honors God’s design for women. The chapel was filled with family members of the physicians, friends and individuals present to celebrate and support the achievement.
Fr. Joseph Ayima celebrated the Mass, and in his homily he described how the Archangel Gabriel communicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive a child in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. He noted the social and emotional challenges she would have faced as she navigated her pregnancy. Fr. Ayima explained that “since Mary experienced many challenges in her pregnancy, she can be a source of comfort for all women who have challenging pregnancies.” He pointed out the significance of the name of the practice, Morning Star, as one of the titles given to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Dr. Leonard’s approach to caring for women has drawn a multitude of patients, creating momentum in keeping the practice successful over the last 20 years.
“I am extremely grateful to be able to keep going for this long and to have provided a reliable place for women to get their healthcare while gaining trust from the community,” Dr. Leonard said.
“People really appreciate authenticity,” he continued. “Being upfront and honest with who we are [as a Catholic medical practice] helps build trust right at the beginning … healing ultimately comes from God and being faith-forward allows God to be involved in the healing relationship with patients … because a lot of times healing needs to go deeper than just the physical — it is also spiritual and physiological.”
Morning Star provides a variety of resources to women which honor natural fertility, including support through grief after a loss, abortion pill reversal, Natural Family Planning methods and post-abortive healing resources.
One particularly notable aspect of Dr. Leonard’s practice is the use of Natural Procedure (NaPro) Technology, which is used to diagnose and treat women’s gynecological and infertility ailments in accordance with natural biology. Dr. Kreller completed her fellowship at St. Paul VI Institute where NaPro Technology originated, and is an expert in providing this groundbreaking technology to women. Dr. Leonard explained this as the crux of holistic women’s health.
Dr. Leonard gives honor to Mary for providing him with the help, confidence and protection in opening this small, independent medical practice and for its success and sustainability.
“At Morning Star OBGYN, we recognize that Mary points the way to Christ, the Divine Healer. We hope to follow her example of courage, humility and fidelity in our practice to bring the healing ministry of Christ to our patients and their families.”
