St. Joseph Hospital is a member of Covenant Health Systems

What is spiritual care?

At St. Joseph Hospital we understand that an important part of providing care includes meeting the spiritual and religious needs of our patients and their loved ones. Our chaplains recognize the worth and dignity of each person and offer pastoral care consistent with each individual's own traditions and beliefs. Chaplains provide spiritual support to patients, their families, and hospital staff. They also serve as a liaison for clergy in the community. Chaplains sustain, support, guide, and help people in their search for meaning in illness and for reconciliation in relationships.

Illness often raises questions such as:

• Why did this happen to me?
• Who am I now?
• Where do I go from here?

These issues can create strong emotions such as anxiety, doubt, guilt, anger, and questioning of long-held beliefs. By offering prayer, comfort, counseling, and spiritual conversation, chaplains can help patients and their families draw upon their own spiritual resources to facilitate healing and recovery.

Request spiritual care:

• When you want someone to pray with you or for you.
• When you need to talk.
• When you need someone to listen.
• When you feel lonely, separated, forgotten, scared, or worried.
• When you feel grateful, blessed, prayerful, or heard by God.
• When you feel like you have lost your faith.
• When you feel like giving up.
• When you are unable to forgive.
• When you are unable to pray.
• When you have cause to celebrate.

How to contact a chaplain

Chaplains are in the hospital every day and are on call at night for emergencies. Any staff member will be happy to contact or page one for you. The chaplains can assist you to contact local pastors, rabbis, or an imam.

Sacred texts

Bibles are placed in each patient room. If there is no Bible in your room, or if you would like to borrow one in Spanish, please ask a chaplain or any member of the housekeeping staff. Bibles or copies of the Koran to take home.

Chaplains also can provide rosaries, prayer cards in Hebrew and English for Jewish patients, and religious materials for Moslems in Arabic.

The hospital chapel

The chapel is always open for prayer and reflection. It is located on the first floor of the hospital across from the south elevators. Chapel services may be viewed within the hospital on channel 77.

Sacraments

Mass is celebrated in the hospital chapel on Sundays at 4 p.m. and Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. (depending on availability of priest).  

Eucharistic Ministers are available daily to bring Communion to Catholic patients. Priests are not on staff but can be called to administer the Sacrament of the Sick if requested.