The Liaison to Healthcare Ministry builds relationships within Catholic healthcare for spiritual support and education. During this time of the pandemic, the need to foster these relationships and show our gratitude is greater than ever.
As we prepare for OneLife LA, we reflect on the dedicated people serving in the ministry of healthcare. These care givers support the precious gift of life at every stage. They walk with our Family of God in the Joy of Life at both difficult and beautiful moments.
Especially now, as our front line healthcare workers are in our thoughts and prayers, we nourish those who support and care for life so our healthcare professionals can experience the Joy of Life.
We created a mini retreat series called Profiles in Excellence – Extraordinary Women and Men in Challenging Times for all our healthcare professionals. We understand the stress our frontline healthcare professionals experience and show our appreciation with these retreats to nourish mind, body and spirit.
These short retreats were designed to be viewed during a break at work or once at home; allowing someone to relax for a few minutes and gain strength for the tasks ahead. We chose stories of saints, extraordinary women and men, who experienced difficulty in their work and lives at various times in history.
The saints included in this series were: St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. John Bosco, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Marianne Cope, and St. Julian of Norwich. While these saints experienced struggles, they knew the Joy of Life as they allowed the Holy Spirit to work through them to touch the lives of many suffering people. The examples of these saints can be an inspiration to our healthcare professionals as they continue to put their lives on the line during the pandemic.
Recently, we hosted a Zoom conference for chaplains, spiritual care providers, and deacons with the theme Holy, Sacred Moments and Encounters with the Divine. Those serving in the ministry of spiritual care have been serving to ease the stress for both patients and hospital staff alike during this pandemic. The work of those in the ministry of spiritual care can be draining and can cause fatigue.
Spirits are renewed and souls rejuvenated when clinicians and chaplains share holy, sacred moments in their ministries. Sharing stories that are “life-giving” and “grace-filled" are uplifting and allow the Joy of Life to be found in this time of pandemic.
We pray that our Lord will bless them as they bless us with their compassionate, loving care as they extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to all in need.
Visit the Catholic Healthcare page here.