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This Broken World
Jun. 10th, 2007 09:50 pmToday was my first time on the wards, as we held services for the patients in the various buildings. They do two sets of services, Catholic and Protestant; I was observing the Catholic services (all chaplains have to do both--there isn't a priest on the chaplaincy staff, so the bring in wafers that have already been consecrated for communion). The first building we visited held maximum-security forensic wards; to get in to where the patients are, you have to go through several locked gates and doors, some of them little sally ports where you're enclosed in a small room or cage and can't open the door in front of you until the door behind you is closed. It's rather claustrophobic and intimidating; I can't imagine what it'd be like to live there. The second was much lower security, and had a much more cheerful atmosphere.
Services were not really what I was expecting. They're fairly compressed (around half an hour long). In addition, although the patients are mentally ill, not stupid, they're usually on medications that decrease their mental capability/focus/whatever as a side effect. Following services can be a challenge for them, as can maintaining appropriate behavior. All music comes from a CD player, and it's the contemporary folk-Catholic stuff I've never really gotten into. The chapels are small, plain, cramped, and just about as well-maintained as the rest of the facility.
But. Today was (for Catholics) the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Our Lord. The songs were communion songs, and one of them talked about grains of wheat being broken and one again in the bread, asking God for wholeness and unity in the same way. The music was nothing worth noting. But hearing such broken people sing about their brokenness and pray to Christ for healing was one of the most powerful worship experiences I've ever had.
On a related note, the first book we're required to read for class is called All Our Losses, All Our Griefs: Resources for Pastoral Care by Kenneth R. Mitchell and Herbert Anderson. It is aimed at pastors, but it is fundamentally an examination of loss and grief from psychological, sociological, and theological perspectives. I've found it to be very insightful and useful, and I highly recommend it for everyone regardless of creed or occupation; it is valuable to more than just pastors, and I think even non-Christians may find the psychological and sociological viewpoints quite useful. The copy I have now belongs to the hospital; I'm going to ask for a copy for my birthday.
Services were not really what I was expecting. They're fairly compressed (around half an hour long). In addition, although the patients are mentally ill, not stupid, they're usually on medications that decrease their mental capability/focus/whatever as a side effect. Following services can be a challenge for them, as can maintaining appropriate behavior. All music comes from a CD player, and it's the contemporary folk-Catholic stuff I've never really gotten into. The chapels are small, plain, cramped, and just about as well-maintained as the rest of the facility.
But. Today was (for Catholics) the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Our Lord. The songs were communion songs, and one of them talked about grains of wheat being broken and one again in the bread, asking God for wholeness and unity in the same way. The music was nothing worth noting. But hearing such broken people sing about their brokenness and pray to Christ for healing was one of the most powerful worship experiences I've ever had.
On a related note, the first book we're required to read for class is called All Our Losses, All Our Griefs: Resources for Pastoral Care by Kenneth R. Mitchell and Herbert Anderson. It is aimed at pastors, but it is fundamentally an examination of loss and grief from psychological, sociological, and theological perspectives. I've found it to be very insightful and useful, and I highly recommend it for everyone regardless of creed or occupation; it is valuable to more than just pastors, and I think even non-Christians may find the psychological and sociological viewpoints quite useful. The copy I have now belongs to the hospital; I'm going to ask for a copy for my birthday.
