RC Chaplain at the Public Hospital.
Christchurch Main Public Hospital
Cathedral Presbytery where I am staying
Uncle Arnett on a day out at Timaru.
Well since I have been back from Australia I have been on the go. Christchurch hospital is one of the bigest in Australiasia with over thirty wards and a yearly intake of 49,000 patients. Over 69,000 patients presented themselves to the emergency department last year, and over 200,000 outpatients visits. So you can see it is a very busy hospital.
Obviously because of patient confidentiality I cannot write about individuals but I can tell you about the work I am doing. I am the Catholic chaplain and my remit is to try and visit all those who put on their entry form that they are catholic. I would say that 60% who say they are catholic do not practice but I still talk to them if they want to. At times they feel a little guilty, so it is up to me to make them feel at ease. I never ask them why they do not go and in no surcumstances berate them. I am there to help them relax and be at ease not to make them tense and agitated. Though I sometimes feel that the collar does that.
The priest who was the chaplain before I came was a Fr Kevin O’Grady and he had worked at that post for well over twentyfive years or more. Everybody in the hospital knew him and he was part of the fixtures and fittings so his death was not only a blow to the hospital but also a great loss. He knew all the staff and as far as he was concerned all the patients were part of his ministry no matter what denomination. Though he has been dead for four months they still praise the work he had done over the years.
All members of the staff are important to the work of the chaplaincy for with out their help it can be a hard slog. If I was going to work their full time on a long term basis my first aim would be to get to know the staff and let the staff get to know me. Once you have got the confidence and the friendship of the staff you are more than halfway to being a good chaplain. Trevor Walt in Broadmoor hospital is a good example of this. But these relationships cannot be built in a few months they take years to build up. Another effect of a long term chaplain is that many of the patients also so know them and feel relaxed in their presence. So with me only being there for three months it is not possible to have the same influence as a long term chaplain has, which can make it quite sressful at times. But I am trying my best and that is all the Lord wants of me.
My day in the hospital starts at ten when all the other chaplains meet for morning prayer and reflection. We then have a coffee and discuss any issues that need to be addressed. After that we go on our rounds. I have a list of usually about forty patients whom I try and see though not all in one day otherwise I would be there day and night. Each time with a patient would vary some only a few minutes others longer especially if the family are there because most times they want to talk as well. Obviously I would offer the sacrament of the sick and Holy communion and it is a delight and moving to see the faith of some people when they receive Our Blessed Lord in the Sacraments. It makes ones vocation worth while.
But the other side of the coin is those who do not attend Church on a regular basis see the sacrament of the sick as the last rite and usually cringe when they see me. So I try to explain that the sacrament of the sick is not only for those who are about to shed this mortal coil but for those who are ill and that it is asking the Lord to give spiritual health to body and soul; a spiritual health that gives courage to those who are suffering from the weakness of the body. Around about one I break off for lunch which is usually a coffee and an apple. Then I begin again walking the wards and answering my bleep which is forever going off. Then at four I break off for the day. But for five days I am on 24 hour call. We have one Mass in the hospital and that is at 3.30pm on a sunday which is quite packed with outside people who make use of it. Very few staff and patients attend.
As you can read I am gaining a lot from my time here. I wouldn’t out of choice want to be a chaplain to a big hospital I feel it would be too stressfull for me. It needs a special sort of person who loves that calling and who can do it long term. But what this placement is teaching me is how special a chaplain is. So please pray for all chaplains and give thanks for all the work that they do.
I will write next week to tell you how I am getting on and where I am living God bless you all.
Obviously because of patient confidentiality I cannot write about individuals but I can tell you about the work I am doing. I am the Catholic chaplain and my remit is to try and visit all those who put on their entry form that they are catholic. I would say that 60% who say they are catholic do not practice but I still talk to them if they want to. At times they feel a little guilty, so it is up to me to make them feel at ease. I never ask them why they do not go and in no surcumstances berate them. I am there to help them relax and be at ease not to make them tense and agitated. Though I sometimes feel that the collar does that.
The priest who was the chaplain before I came was a Fr Kevin O’Grady and he had worked at that post for well over twentyfive years or more. Everybody in the hospital knew him and he was part of the fixtures and fittings so his death was not only a blow to the hospital but also a great loss. He knew all the staff and as far as he was concerned all the patients were part of his ministry no matter what denomination. Though he has been dead for four months they still praise the work he had done over the years.
All members of the staff are important to the work of the chaplaincy for with out their help it can be a hard slog. If I was going to work their full time on a long term basis my first aim would be to get to know the staff and let the staff get to know me. Once you have got the confidence and the friendship of the staff you are more than halfway to being a good chaplain. Trevor Walt in Broadmoor hospital is a good example of this. But these relationships cannot be built in a few months they take years to build up. Another effect of a long term chaplain is that many of the patients also so know them and feel relaxed in their presence. So with me only being there for three months it is not possible to have the same influence as a long term chaplain has, which can make it quite sressful at times. But I am trying my best and that is all the Lord wants of me.
My day in the hospital starts at ten when all the other chaplains meet for morning prayer and reflection. We then have a coffee and discuss any issues that need to be addressed. After that we go on our rounds. I have a list of usually about forty patients whom I try and see though not all in one day otherwise I would be there day and night. Each time with a patient would vary some only a few minutes others longer especially if the family are there because most times they want to talk as well. Obviously I would offer the sacrament of the sick and Holy communion and it is a delight and moving to see the faith of some people when they receive Our Blessed Lord in the Sacraments. It makes ones vocation worth while.
But the other side of the coin is those who do not attend Church on a regular basis see the sacrament of the sick as the last rite and usually cringe when they see me. So I try to explain that the sacrament of the sick is not only for those who are about to shed this mortal coil but for those who are ill and that it is asking the Lord to give spiritual health to body and soul; a spiritual health that gives courage to those who are suffering from the weakness of the body. Around about one I break off for lunch which is usually a coffee and an apple. Then I begin again walking the wards and answering my bleep which is forever going off. Then at four I break off for the day. But for five days I am on 24 hour call. We have one Mass in the hospital and that is at 3.30pm on a sunday which is quite packed with outside people who make use of it. Very few staff and patients attend.
As you can read I am gaining a lot from my time here. I wouldn’t out of choice want to be a chaplain to a big hospital I feel it would be too stressfull for me. It needs a special sort of person who loves that calling and who can do it long term. But what this placement is teaching me is how special a chaplain is. So please pray for all chaplains and give thanks for all the work that they do.
I will write next week to tell you how I am getting on and where I am living God bless you all.
posted by Fr Kevin @ 8:57 am
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