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Truly Present: Bishop installs tabernacle at county hospital
Eucharist a source of hope for sick
By Ambria Hammel, The Catholic Sun
November 1, 2007
Some patients and medical personnel who have experienced a medical miracle may recognize God’s presence.
Now His Real Presence at one county-run hospital is not only certain, but permanent.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted installed a tabernacle, which will permanently house the Eucharist, at Maricopa Medical Center. He celebrated a special Mass Oct. 12 at the hospital’s chapel.
“The Church has always strongly supported hospitals and those who dedicate their lives to the care of the ill,” the bishop said in his homily. Spiritual and pastoral care of the sick accompanies medical care, he said.
Fr. Christopher Omwanda knows the relationship between hospitals and the Church. As a Catholic chaplain for the medical center, he frequently receives calls to administer the Eucharist to the sick and dying. Sometimes, the call comes late.
“All I could do was pray with the patient,” said Fr. Omwanda, who lives in Glendale.
Now other Catholic volunteers can assist the chaplain in his absence.
“The Blessed Sacrament will always be available to be taken to the sick who long to be one with Christ through this precious sacrament,” the bishop said.
Its presence also serves Catholic doctors, nurses, patients and their families who visit the chapel for prayer in adoration.
The hospital sees nearly 20,000 inpatient admissions every year, according to the Maricopa Integrated Health System Web site.
Cheryl Nichta, a chapel volunteer, prayed for the tabernacle because she said the center’s doctors and nurses see the worst of the worst.
“They need that 15 minutes to an hour with Jesus to say, ‘Lord, please help me,’” Nichta said. A few Catholic nurses who often attend one of the chapel’s three weekday Masses, joined her in that prayer.
They saw their prayers answered last month.
“There is a lot of excitement about this,” said Betsey Bayless, CEO of the Maricopa Integrated Health System, which operates the medical center.
The facility serves a lot of Hispanics and “many of them are comforted by the presence of the priest and the Eucharist,” Bayless said.
The tabernacle — donated by a volunteer — rests in an enclosed and renovated section of the non-denominational chapel. According to architecture guidelines provided by the American bishops, a tabernacle should never be temporary or makeshift. It should be distinguished.
The 5-by-10-foot space features spotlights, light wooden cabinetry, large windows and a door. Two kneelers and a couch sit outside.
More than 75 Catholics gathered for the tabernacle’s installation. As soon as the bishop closed the tabernacle door, several took turns at the kneelers to admire its presence.
Its sight inside a public hospital is rather rare according to the Association of Professional Chaplains. Most Catholic hospitals have the Blessed Sacrament reposed, but they only make up 12.5 percent of community hospitals.
The tabernacle at the Maricopa Medical Center receives so many visitors that Nichta is creating a book to schedule timeslots to ensure someone is always praying for the sick.
Bishop Olmsted said the sick may become discouraged. He said it’s important to have people of faith caring for the sick because they treat patients with love and help them overcome spiritual battles.
“Great battles happen in hospitals everyday. Those of you who work here know that,” the bishop said.
But with God, “who is stronger than death and illness,” he added, “we can be confident in His kingdom, His presence.”
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