Providence will provide
Our first patient in our newly opened hospice program in Nuuanu was an elderly Hawaiian-Japanese lady. She was dying of cancer and very weak. It was hard to even sit her up in a chair. One day, as I was trying to figure out how to help her, I bent over, put my small arms around her and held her very close to me as I gently lifted her up. At that moment, my emotions welled up as I realized that I had not been able to help my mom on Maui in such a way when she was gravely ill. Sometimes there are downhills in life, and we need to give up a lot. But God is always with us and Divine Providence will provide. Later on, I put this frail lady back in bed. She passed away very peacefully.
As a registered nurse for 58 years, I have been missioned to a number of places, and have enjoyed each one that I served at. After graduating from St. Francis School of Nursing in 1955, I entered the convent becoming a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. I worked in upper-state New York as a nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica and St. Joseph Hospital in Syracuse, the same hospitals St. Marianne Cope ministered in. After I was assigned to Hawaii, I worked in St. Francis Hospital (later Medical Center) in Liliha, and spent a memorable three years performing nursing care in Kalaupapa, Molokai.
Ever since I began working with hospice care, I have come to understand what death is all about. When a priest who was dying of cancer came to hospice, I prayed with him through his fears as he gasped through his last breaths. All of a sudden, he just relaxed and then passed away. When (Franciscan) Sister Francine Gries, my mentor who brought the concept of hospice to the islands, Japan and Korea, was dying, I gathered the staff around her to sing with me “Be Not Afraid.” But the song couldn’t find its voice. So, I bent low to her ear and whispered the lyrics “Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come, follow Me, and I will give you rest.” As she loved flowers, we spread some beautiful flowers around her bed putting some fragrant ones in her hair. Finally, she just closed her eyes and went home to the Lord.
When my brother was in hospice care, we did everything that he wanted. Through an arrangement with hospice on Maui, we were able to take him there to say goodbye to family and dear friends. Back on Oahu, our large family of different religious denominations all stood by his side, and even their churches like the Jehovah’s Witnesses offered to make the food for his service at the Catholic church. Death is a beautiful thing. It is very rewarding to be able to help people transition from one life to the next.
Through it all, I often recite Psalm 139. It is my favorite psalm and speaks of God’s omnipotence. The Lord he knows me, when I sit and when I stand. The Lord is before me and behind me; he knows my thoughts from afar. I know he is there; his providence will provide.
Sister Miriam Dionise Cabacungan grew up in Maui and attended St. Anthony School, Wailuku. Professed 59 years, she resides at St. Clare Convent in Ewa Beach and ministers in St. Francis Healthcare Systems Spiritual Services.
