May 5, 2021
Healing the spirit St. Charles County hospital chaplains address the emotional and spiritual strain on patients and caregivers in the time of COVID-19 By Brett Auten It’s not about curing. It’s about healing. Emotional and spiritual healing. A hospital’s pastoral care team are in the middle of all the disarray and they are there to provide serenity. Chaplains do the expected; perform prayers, read requests from religious books, even being on the receiving end of the occasional confessional. But more pertinently, it’s lending an ear and providing comfort for all sorts of needs or difficulties. Sometimes, religion isn’t even a part of the equation. It’s more like giving spiritual support, in whatever manner, to patients and their loved ones as well as fellow hospital employees. Submitted photo “We cover the whole house, as they say,” Chris Dumas, part of the Pastoral Care Team at SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – Lake St. Louis, attends a candlelight vigil held Rev. Chris Dumas, with SSM Health St. Joearlier this year. seph Hospital – Lake Saint Louis, said. “It is a pretty big challenge.” “For all of us, every day was different, es- theme was that it’s OK not to be OK. Dumas has been with SSM for four years. pecially early on,” she said. “You had to be Chaplain Sue Weitz at O’Fallon’s Progress Her first career came in physical therapy. “I found the two very similar, I listen to flexible because we were all learning at the West Hospital and Barnes-Jewish St. Peters pain and try to help locate the origins of same time. As it came on strong, and the Hospital refers to pastoral care as a minisit,” Dumas said. “When I moved to pasto- peak was mid-winter, death was very com- try of presence. While the patients are always first and ral care it was like I was shown a light. You mon. Grief was a major part of every day.” Dumas talked of a special staff-only lo- foremost, Weitz and others have made sure need to be over here.” As one would imagine, during the begin- cation on the fourth floor waiting room, to be there for the rest of the workforce. ning stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, called a place of respite. There were also our nation’s hospitals were in a state of flux. small group gatherings where the overall See ’SPIRIT’ page 2
Serving St. Louis, St. Charles and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol.23 No. 17 | 636-379-1775
Around Town
St. Charles County reaches milestone. Pg. 3 Missouri bicentennial events to commemorate Statehood Day. Pg. 3
School
Duchesne High School names new president. Pg. 7
Features
Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 Moore On Life, Yeggs & Crossword. Pg. F-4
Weather FRIDAY Partly Cloudy 67/54 SATURDAY Scattered Showers 70/62 SUNDAY Scattered Showers 75/58