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Prayer Shawl
Sacred Stories | Prayer Shawl
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” – Matthew 18:20
At our facility, we cared for Rod (name changed) for a couple of decades, as he endured many surgeries and procedures.
Rod finally decided his body could no longer fight, and he requested comfort care. So many on our staff had worked with Rod and knew him. He had become part of our hospital family, and our staff was grieving.
To allow time for our staff to say goodbye to Rod, with his permission, I arranged a prayer shawl ritual. Our staff wheeled Rod in his hospital bed to the window by our meditation room, where he was surrounded by nearly 50 members of his family—both his birth family and his adoptive family, the facility staff.
People from Pre-op, OR, Inpatient Care and Ancillary Services visited. There were doctors, nurses, laboratory techs, RTs and more. There were people who were working their shifts, and people who came in on their day off. There were even people who had left the organization but came back just for this.
The space was made where people could engage in their healing in whatever way was right for them. We each had the opportunity to hold the prayer shawl and express whatever was right in the moment. Some prayed silently, others prayed aloud. Some prayers were Christian, others were not. Some offered words of encouragement, others offered their emotional goodbyes. Through it all, God’s healing presence was made known not just to Rod and his family, but to our staff.
Rod’s life came to an end the next day, and his family asked me to lead them during his funeral service, which I agreed to do.
I believe that our care for Rod is a testimony to the commitment we have to our patients, that we are people who see our patients as people with whom we can develop personal connections. Our mission statement emphasizes caring, especially for those who are vulnerable, and I believe we do that most authentically when we engage with our own vulnerability individually and collectively. What a treat it was to see that on display.
Submitted by Nosheen Rafique
Questions for Reflection
When was the last time a patient or colleague made a positive impact on you?
In what ways can challenges and hardship help us to live out our mission?
Share this Story
- Share on Facebook
- Share on Twitter
- Share on LinkedIn
- Share by Mail
Listen to more Sacred Stories
The Gift of Citizenship/by adminOur Famous Patient/by adminFulfilling a Last Request/by adminThe Power of Being Present/by adminA Celebrated Farewell/by adminGod’s Perfect Timing/by adminGod’s Presence in Grief/by adminCompassion in Action/by adminThe Door is Open/by adminEncourage One Another/by adminRestoring the Soul/by adminSacred Stories, Sacred Ground/by adminOur Christmas Gift/by adminMessages Placed in My Path/by adminBeyond Words/by adminCare In the Time of COVID-19/by adminPrayer of Surrender at the End of Life/by adminWisdom from a Child/by adminGod Has This in Control/by adminReceiving Guests With Compassion and Kindness/by adminCommonSpirit Health’s Ever-present Values/by adminThe Gift of Time in the Giving Garden/by adminFair, with Occasional Clouds/by adminAlways a Reason/by adminIt Only Takes a Second/by adminA Thank You Note/by adminWith the Arms of Christ/by adminLadybug’s Christmas Tree/by adminJesus Lit Up Our World/by adminLike a Grain of Wheat/by adminSanta Finally Comes to Our House/by adminWhenever it Snows, the Memory of Him Comes to Me/by adminMany Gifts, Same Spirit/by adminMy Poignant Story/by adminLife and Death/by adminCan You Hear Me in the Noise?/by adminBagpipes/by adminTo Truly See/by adminMassaging Souls/by adminMargaret Was Not Alone/by adminThe “Push” for My Career/by adminA Grandmother’s Kiss/by adminUncle Jim/by adminWhat Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?/by adminI Have Seen the Face of God/by adminIncarcerated/by adminIce Cream: Good for the Soul/by adminA Cup of Cold Water/by adminSpirits Touching/by adminI Thought You Might Need a Hug/by adminFamily, Friends, and Faith/by adminJust Hands/by adminOur Central American Patient/by adminBrief Light/by adminA Childs Generosity/by adminEverything Is for a Reason/by adminThe Colonel/by adminThe Goodbye Song/by adminThe True Meaning of Christmas/by adminDo You Remember Me?/by adminLights for Timothy/by adminA New Friend/by adminStringed Release/by adminPrayer Shawl/by adminForgiveness/by adminLoad more
About Sacred Stories
As CommonSpirit Health, we make the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of
the people we serve, especially those who are vulnerable, while we advance social justice for all.
Sacred Stories convey ways our mission is being lived out by the gifted people in our ministry. We invite you to
use these stories for inspiration, as a meeting reflection, or to encourage discussion with your team.
Return to the Sacred Stories Homepage
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Sacred Stories | Prayer Shawl
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” – Matthew 18:20
At our facility, we cared for Rod (name changed) for a couple of decades, as he endured many surgeries and procedures.
Rod finally decided his body could no longer fight, and he requested comfort care. So many on our staff had worked with Rod and knew him. He had become part of our hospital family, and our staff was grieving.
To allow time for our staff to say goodbye to Rod, with his permission, I arranged a prayer shawl ritual. Our staff wheeled Rod in his hospital bed to the window by our meditation room, where he was surrounded by nearly 50 members of his family—both his birth family and his adoptive family, the facility staff.
People from Pre-op, OR, Inpatient Care and Ancillary Services visited. There were doctors, nurses, laboratory techs, RTs and more. There were people who were working their shifts, and people who came in on their day off. There were even people who had left the organization but came back just for this.
The space was made where people could engage in their healing in whatever way was right for them. We each had the opportunity to hold the prayer shawl and express whatever was right in the moment. Some prayed silently, others prayed aloud. Some prayers were Christian, others were not. Some offered words of encouragement, others offered their emotional goodbyes. Through it all, God’s healing presence was made known not just to Rod and his family, but to our staff.
Rod’s life came to an end the next day, and his family asked me to lead them during his funeral service, which I agreed to do.
I believe that our care for Rod is a testimony to the commitment we have to our patients, that we are people who see our patients as people with whom we can develop personal connections. Our mission statement emphasizes caring, especially for those who are vulnerable, and I believe we do that most authentically when we engage with our own vulnerability individually and collectively. What a treat it was to see that on display.
Submitted by Nosheen Rafique
Questions for Reflection
When was the last time a patient or colleague made a positive impact on you?
In what ways can challenges and hardship help us to live out our mission?
Share this Story
- Share on Facebook
- Share on Twitter
- Share on LinkedIn
- Share by Mail
Listen to more Sacred Stories
The Gift of Citizenship/by adminOur Famous Patient/by adminFulfilling a Last Request/by adminThe Power of Being Present/by adminA Celebrated Farewell/by adminGod’s Perfect Timing/by adminGod’s Presence in Grief/by adminCompassion in Action/by adminThe Door is Open/by adminEncourage One Another/by adminRestoring the Soul/by adminSacred Stories, Sacred Ground/by adminOur Christmas Gift/by adminMessages Placed in My Path/by adminBeyond Words/by adminCare In the Time of COVID-19/by adminPrayer of Surrender at the End of Life/by adminWisdom from a Child/by adminGod Has This in Control/by adminReceiving Guests With Compassion and Kindness/by adminCommonSpirit Health’s Ever-present Values/by adminThe Gift of Time in the Giving Garden/by adminFair, with Occasional Clouds/by adminAlways a Reason/by adminIt Only Takes a Second/by adminA Thank You Note/by adminWith the Arms of Christ/by adminLadybug’s Christmas Tree/by adminJesus Lit Up Our World/by adminLike a Grain of Wheat/by adminSanta Finally Comes to Our House/by adminWhenever it Snows, the Memory of Him Comes to Me/by adminMany Gifts, Same Spirit/by adminMy Poignant Story/by adminLife and Death/by adminCan You Hear Me in the Noise?/by adminBagpipes/by adminTo Truly See/by adminMassaging Souls/by adminMargaret Was Not Alone/by adminThe “Push” for My Career/by adminA Grandmother’s Kiss/by adminUncle Jim/by adminWhat Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?/by adminI Have Seen the Face of God/by adminIncarcerated/by adminIce Cream: Good for the Soul/by adminA Cup of Cold Water/by adminSpirits Touching/by adminI Thought You Might Need a Hug/by adminFamily, Friends, and Faith/by adminJust Hands/by adminOur Central American Patient/by adminBrief Light/by adminA Childs Generosity/by adminEverything Is for a Reason/by adminThe Colonel/by adminThe Goodbye Song/by adminThe True Meaning of Christmas/by adminDo You Remember Me?/by adminLights for Timothy/by adminA New Friend/by adminStringed Release/by adminPrayer Shawl/by adminForgiveness/by adminLoad more
About Sacred Stories
As CommonSpirit Health, we make the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of
the people we serve, especially those who are vulnerable, while we advance social justice for all.
Sacred Stories convey ways our mission is being lived out by the gifted people in our ministry. We invite you to
use these stories for inspiration, as a meeting reflection, or to encourage discussion with your team.
Return to the Sacred Stories Homepage