In addition to medical and physical needs, the sick face a range of emotional and spiritual issues that can influence their wellbeing and that of their families, friends and the staff caring for them. I have learned that in times of pain and affliction people can encounter different things to help them cope. Thus the meaning of spiritual life is different for each person. I would like to share some of my experiences with you.

One time I was paged by a staff chaplain to visit a patient who had just been rushed to the hospital. The family asked me to celebrate the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. With this particular sacrament, at times there are issues and concerns raised by patients and families, such as when is the proper time for the sacrament and what are its effects. This particular family expressed concern about their loved one being unable to go to Confession if he died. I explained that the Church teaches that the forgiveness of one’s sins is one of the effects of the Anointing of the Sick. They later told me that the celebration of the sacrament had meant a lot to them and brought them peace in a difficult time.

The second encounter involved a follow-up visit with a dying patient whom I had previously seen with her family. The condition of the patient had deteriorated and she had become very ill. One of the challenges in my ministry is the unpredictability of end-of-life situations in which families and caregivers face the dilemma of what is described as appropriate care for a patient when there is no hope of cure. During this difficult period I attempt to negotiate questions about life and death.

In this particular case, all possible treatments had left no hope of cure and the patient was in great distress. The medical team recommended that the family allow nature to run its course as death was imminent. The patient would be offered comfort measures. The family wanted to know what the Church teaches about end-of life situations and what is allowed in the pastoral care for the dying.

I helped them work through their concerns and my care and support enabled the family to come to terms with the challenges they were facing. In the end they were able to make appropriate decisions for their loved one in a dignified and peaceful manner.

A very important policy at St. Michael’s is that new patients can indicate their religious faith if they wish. I therefore can see names of Roman Catholic patients on my census every morning.

In the third encounter, I visited a patient who had just been admitted for surgery. He told me he had abandoned his Catholic faith when he became an adult. After a couple of visits he shared with me his fear and anxiety and said he was “very down in spirits.” We had a long conversation that included talking about his religious faith and the sacraments. He asked me to come and visit him the following day. During that visit he requested that I help him prepare for the surgery. He later told me that the celebration of the sacraments had brought him comfort and peace.

These encounters reveal the scope of my role in the hospital community: primarily to be present to the sick, families and friends and to listen to their concerns and needs so I can journey with them in offering spiritual support. I have been given an insight as to how each patient deals with pain and suffering. I am inspired to observe how religious practices such as celebration of Mass, rituals, prayers and the sacraments, especially Reconciliation, the Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick, can take on a unique meaning and value to many Roman Catholics.

These religious practices help them to find their own spiritual path as they search for comfort, peace and healing of body and mind, bringing them what they describe as “uplifting of the spirit.” My presence in the community has also caused a drastic reduction in the need to call a priest in the middle of the night to come and celebrate the Anointing of the Sick. The attitude of patients, families and staff to the Anointing of the Sick has been changing from that of fear, anxiety and despair as they come to understand that this sacrament is no longer for those at the point of death.

As a priest-chaplain in the spiritual care team I have become a resource to the staff chaplains and the other staff, including the medical teams and the social workers who can consult with me on how best to provide spiritual care to Roman Catholic patients. There are also times when I collaborate with the staff chaplains and other staff members together to assess a patient or a family’s needs and to plan how our unique roles can best serve them in their time of need. 

I have come to learn that for effective pastoral care, it is essential that I become proactive and anticipate the needs of the members of the community by making myself visible and available. A very important aspect of my ministry is to reach out to Catholics who no longer associate with the Church to provide them spiritual support in their time of difficulty. My ministry allows Catholics to reconnect with their faith. By offering pastoral care and support to those in pain I invite them to enter into a spiritual relationship with God as they search for what gives their lives meaning.

At the end of the day as I reflect on the spiritual significance of my visits, I am filled with motivation and inspiration from these encounters during which we experience the spiritual mysteries of God’s gifts to us. God’s love, compassion, peace and healing are with us in these and all challenges: this is God’s promise to all of us.

(Fr. Yaw Acheampong is priest-chaplain at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto.)