|
|
Health Care Chaplaincy in Ireland
Margaret Sleator.
I have been involved in chaplaincy in for over 8 years. I
work in an acute Catholic teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The
hospital is located in the north inner city and it caters for over six
hundred patients. I am assigned to The Intensive Care, High Dependency and
other acute areas.
The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
It is owned by the Sisters of Mercy whose founder was a woman named
Catherine McAuley. The hospital opened its doors in 1861. We pledge
ourselves to respect the dignity of human life; To care for the sick with
compassion and professionalism; To promote excellence and equity, quality
and accountability (Mission Statement) Today, the Mater Misericordiae
University Hospital continues in its healing ministry to the sick,
regardless of class, creed, or nationality. The hospital provides for the
training of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) students; i.e., those
training for hospital ministry.
Chaplaincy at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
The chaplains work as a team comprising priests, sisters and lay people.
The chaplaincy team provides:
-
Twenty four hour on call chaplaincy service. Patients,
families and staff can call on the chaplain at any hour of the day or
night. There is always a priest on duty as the sacramental ministry is
valued highly by patients who are dying , seriously ill or going for
surgery, this would be a high priority for the chaplain to see someone who
requested a visit prior to their operation.
-
We visit systematically on the wards and ensure that every
new patient meets someone from pastoral care within the first 48 hours of
admission. They are assured that this service is for them if they wish to
avail of it.
-
We make referrals for people of other denominations and
faiths if they request it. The chaplains will accompany the patient in
their time of illness. We hope that many of them recover. For long stay
patients the chaplains accompany the patients during their time in
hospital and offer a compassionate accompaniment.
-
Support to staff and especially to foreign staff who are
far from home.
-
Church services are offered for all, patients relatives
and staff. The sacrament of the eucharist is celebrated daily. This is the
most important prayer for Roman Catholics. We also offer Ecumenical and
inter-faith services for families those loved ones have died on the Unit.
We encourage staff to take responsibility for prepare and to participate.
-
Bereavement services. We offer prayers in the mortuary
prior to families removing their deceased loved ones from the hospital. We
invite the bereaved back to the hospital for mass on the 1st Friday of the
month for those who have died in the preceding month in the hospital. We
also offer ecumenical services once a year in November for those who have
died in the A&E dept and in the ICU/HDU wards. These services have been
initiated at the request of the staff in these areas.
Membership of chaplaincy organisations
[May 2008]
Sr Pat O'Donovan
Sr. Pat O'Donovan is Director of Clinical Pastoral
Education at St Vincent's University Hospital, in Dublin, Ireland. At the
Consultation she represents two professional bodies: the Healthcare
Chaplaincy
Board of Ireland , and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
(Ireland) Ltd.
[May 2008]
top
|
