Sr. Judeen Julier reflects on Ash Wednesday as a hospital chaplain:
This year we have no chapel because of construction at California Hospital Medical Center. I did a “mini service” nine times on Ash Wednesday. We created a schedule beginning at 7:30 am with a service in the main lobby to accommodate the night shift leaving. Then we scheduled every half hour one floor of the 8 nursing floors. I took my “rolling chapel” to the waiting area on each floor near the elevators and parked there so nurses and other staff members could come from down the hallways where they were with their patients. Other departments (administration, other offices, case managers, etc.) had the posted schedule so they could come to any nursing floor at a time they could get away from their work. The mini service included a recorded Lenten gathering song, my “short homily”, handouts given to help staff continue to reflect during the 40 days of Lent, the distribution of ashes and a closing song for reflection.
We celebrate the work of Catholic Sisters everywhere during Catholic Sisters Week and every week… Learn more about national Catholic Sisters Week here.