Hawaii sisters and clergy who serve in hospice, hospital, prison and university describe their work
By Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Chaplains serve on the front lines. They go where ordinary ministers don’t always go: hospital emergency rooms, hospices, war zones, military bases, prisons, police stations, schools, the halls of Congress. Whenever they are called, no matter the time of day, or how tired or hungry they may be, they respond, ready to bring spiritual aid and comfort to those most in need.
I remember the advice of the late Honolulu Police Department chaplain Sister Roberta Julie Marie Derby, of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. “Do good and disappear.” She had made that line from the film “The Nun’s Story” her motto. Chaplain Derby was the first woman law enforcement chaplain in the United States. She was also the only Honolulu police chaplain ever to receive the Silver Medal of Valor for being calm at gunpoint and defusing a hostage situation. She served the Honolulu Police Department for 20 years.
Here are more words on chaplaincy by others in the field today.
HOSPITAL
‘Worst job in the world’
By Sister Judy Resta, SFCC
My greatest joy as a chaplain comes from being able to support people emotionally and spiritually at some of the most challenging times in their lives. Chaplains occasionally get paged to do newborn baby blessings, but most pages involve tragic events in people’s lives. Several years ago there was a night of drive-by shootings in Honolulu. A woman was struck. Her husband and 10 children were all in the emergency room at Queen’s Medical Center. As I was on duty, I called for a Vietnamese priest at 3 a.m. The family’s Catholic faith and support for one another as their wife and mother was dying was unbelievable! She passed away about an hour after he anointed her.
Another experience at Queen’s involved a 16-year-old boy who died in a skateboarding accident. The social worker and I were present when the doctor broke the news to the boy’s father, who was in the medical equipment business and knew many of the staff at Queen’s. The father then turned to the social worker and me and said, “You two have the worst job in the whole wide world because you have to deal with this kind of stuff each and every day.” We assured him that we were there to support him and his family in any way that we could. I stayed with him until his Christian pastor came to be with the family.
HOSPICE
‘It is all very powerful’
By Father Victor Lanuevo
The joy of being a chaplain in hospice ministry is that of being called upon for any emergency because that is the time the need for a priest is most intense. It is also a profoundly nourishing pause for all present. Regardless of the inconvenience of the hour, whether it be midnight, early in the afternoon, or late in the morning, those things disappear because of the joy that you experience after ministering to the patient. I have been working as a hospice chaplain for five years with St. Francis Healthcare System. Before that, I was a military chaplain for 22 years and in combat for four.
It is hard to explain why I wanted to become a chaplain. When you are called to do something, sometimes it might seem unreasonable. But once you begin to see the meaning of it, the purpose, then you can see both sides of the problem and the solution, the pains and the joys, the frustrations and the sense of fulfillment, the darkness and the new light of life. It is all very powerful.
PRISON
They are ‘just like us’
By Father Patrick McDaid, SM
Prison ministry is wonderful. It is the perfect opportunity to put the Beatitudes into practice. I love my visits to the Oahu Community Correctional Center, Women’s Community Correctional Center, and the Federal Detention Center. Often when we break open the Word of God, do faith sharing and lectio divina outside of the Mass, I get such wonderful creative insights into the Gospel that I use at school services (at Saint Louis School where he is also chaplain).
The men and women I minister to are just like us. You see the image and likeness of God in them each time you visit. They may be behind bars, but in a lot of ways, we who are outside the correctional facility, put up those bars in our lives. They can help us see imprisonment isn’t just physical, it is spiritual, mental and psychological. It is like St. Paul, when he was locked up. It is amazing to see the faith alive and growing in these men and women. With every success, every parole, every change, there is reason to celebrate as each turning point improves the life of our islands.
HOSPITAL
‘No one dies alone’
By Sister Mary Rose Atuu, LSMIG
My father was a health assistant who used to take us children along when he visited patients. When I entered the convent, I wanted to be a nurse or a doctor. But following religious obedience I got my doctorate and became a professor of chemistry and mathematics. I later completed my Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) studies at Pacific Health Ministry. I volunteer at Queen’s Medical Center, Kapiolani Hospital and at Straub Hospital.
I do love to teach. However, I also love being with the sick and dying. When I was in Uganda, we started an association called Good Samaritan to help those with HIV/AIDS. We collected money to help the patients buy food and bedding. We even took them to the hospital and watched after the children of the dying women.
To journey with the dying and their loved ones, especially in the emergency room, is profound. Many patients, even if they are unconscious, can still hear what you say. Recently, I visited a lady who was alone in the hospital. I told her who I was and that I was there for her. She did not respond, but I remained present. Later in the evening her daughter arrived with her granddaughter. I then told the lady that she should feel free to be with Christ. Next, I turned to her daughter and told her to tell her mother that she was free to go. As we surrounded her with our presence and prayer, she peacefully passed away. No one dies alone.
HOSPITAL
‘Through the eyes of God’
By Deacon Raul Perez
It is such a blessing to be able to spend time talking and praying with patients. I remember one particular patient who had come from a hard background and did not have any family on the island. At the time of her passing, I was able to be there with her and hold her hand. It was a grace-filled experience seeing a slight smile on her face as she peacefully released her last breath. This experience and many others culminated my call to the diaconate and as a chaplain.
It can be a challenge to see every person through the eyes of God. However, once that is overcome, it becomes a joy to visit any patient no matter what his or her religion may be, or even if he or she has none.
HOSPICE
‘Sister, please pray for me’
By Sister Marykutty Kottuppallil, MSMHC
There are people who are angry. I had a young boy who was angry with everyone. Already near the end of his life, he didn’t want any spiritual help. I did not know that. But when someone told me he was Catholic, I went to visit him. I had a rosary and gave it to him, he took it. I had a scapular, he also took it. Then I asked him, “What would you like me to do for you?” He said, “Sister, please pray for me.” After I prayed, I said, “Do you know that you are going to God?” He said, “No, I don’t know.”
He then held my hand tightly. I said to him, “Don’t be afraid. We are all coming to be with you one day.” Then, I asked him why he was afraid. He said that he did not believe; he had no religion. In the meantime, a relative came and told me that he was angry at everyone in his family. Talking to the boy, I asked him to forgive each member of his family. When his brothers arrived, he did and they also told him they were sorry. They all reconciled. When I asked him if he wanted anything else, he replied, “I want to be of your religion.” I baptized him. And, as he wanted to die holding the rosary, he did so, peacefully slipping away.
UNIVERSITY
‘First, a role of presence’
By Father George Cerniglia, SM
My role as the chaplain at Chaminade University is first and foremost a role of presence — presence to the students, faculty and staff. It is important to have someone here who is available to anyone who wants to talk, or to deepen their spiritual life. And then of course, there is the sacramental work of the priest for celebrating Mass and administering the sacrament of confession, for counseling, spiritual direction, and being present at the retreats we have.
One of the things I will miss as I leave the campus and go into parish ministry is the presence of young people. It is always exciting to be on a campus with young adults and to see their enthusiasm and their energy as they face their whole lives ahead, wanting to go out and change the world. It is a joy to see that campus ministry, especially, has such an influence on their choices in life.
