The Mayo General Hospital along with the Sacred Heart Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital is served by the Castlebar Hospitals Chaplaincy. There are two Catholic priests, Denis Gallagher, and John Murray, working full time in this chaplaincy. Church of Ireland priest, Gary Hastings, is the Anglican / Episcopalian chaplain. Ministers of other denominations are contacted on request.
Since April 1998 Mary Foy, a religious sister of
Mercy, works on a part time basis for twenty hours each week.
Her appointment to the Chaplaincy Service is a recent and welcome
development. Her initial appointment is on a temporary basis for six
months. At the end of this period the position will be evaluated by
the Health Board, leading hopefully to a permanent position being
created.
Prior to 1981 pastoral care services were provided to the hospitals
by the parish clergy of Castlebar. With ever increasing demands and
the realisation of the need for a specialist service the hospitals'
chaplaincy was established as a separate unit within the
parish.
Chaplains :
|
Des Fahey |
1981 - 1988 |
|
John McCarthy |
1981 - 1983 |
|
Paddy Gilligan |
1983 - 1989 |
|
John Loftus |
1988 - 1994, 1995 - 1997 |
|
Mattie Long |
1989 - 1999 |
|
Michael Murphy |
1994 - 1995 |
|
John Walsh |
1997 - 1998 |
|
Mary Foy RSM |
1998 - |
|
Denis Gallagher |
1998 - |
|
John Murray |
1999 - |
The role of a hospital chaplain is an evolving one and has changed a lot over the years. In the past the chaplain was seen only as one who was responsible for administering the Sacraments to the sick. Now we realize that no one aspect of a person can be dealt with in isolation. To care for a person we have to care for their physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. This means that the chaplain joins with all the hospital staff as part of a team in caring for the patients and their relatives.
One recent important development in the field of Roman Catholic hospital chaplaincy in Ireland was the establishment of a Healthcare Chaplaincy Board. This board is responsible for the registration of all qualified hospital chaplains in the country and one of its chief functions is to ensure that all chaplains, ordained and lay, are suitably qualified. The board was set up following negotiations between the bishops' committee on Healthcare matters and the Department of Health.
In keeping with this role the chaplain is now
often called upon to minister to many of the human anxieties that the
sick and their relatives experience. Chaplains now undergo
specialized training, usually involving counselling skills, so they
can better assist those in their care.
The place of theSacraments is very important but the Sacraments are not seen in isolation, but more in the context of a community caring for all the needs of a person who is sick.
In the Castlebar hospitals the Sacraments are celebrated regularly with the patients. There is a daily Mass in St. Mary's and the Sacred Heart hospitals. Sunday Mass is celebrated in the General Hospital. Communion is brought to patients on a regular basis. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is celebrated regularly and on request whenever a patient is seriously ill.
It is hoped that with the completion of phase 2 of the General Hospital a medium sized multi-demoninational oratory will facilitate the celebration of Mass more often.
Perhaps the most important part of the chaplain's work is the visitation of patients. Patients and chaplains can get to know each other during visitation and if patients wish to discuss anything with the chaplain they can avail of the chance to do so.
People who are ill, or incapacitated by old age, experience many different fears and emotions; all the more so when a person has had to leave their own home and neighbourhood. By helping a person face and talk about these fears and feelings the chaplain can help a patient begin to make sense of, and find meaning in, what is going on in her or his life.
One of the chaplains is on call at all times and
is available to patients or their relatives.