A Day of Learning

Today proved to be as informative as yesterday, but in a different way. We got down to some of the nitty-gritty stuff and details today after a morning session of learning the history of CPE at Lutheran General. Fr. Barry, one of the staff Catholic priests spoke to us about ministering to specifically Catholic patients, who apparently abound in this hospital. (Actually, the hospital was described as a 'Lutheran hospital staffed mainly by Jewish physicians who work to heal largely Catholic patients who are being minstered to by a growing number of Episcopal pastoral caregivers.') It was very interesting and informative. He spoke to us about the varieties of things Catholic patients may request and which of those things we can do as chaplains and those of them for which we need to call the priest. This was not as unfamiliar territory for me, being an Anglican, as it was for others. He spoke primarily about Sacraments and what patients may request and what they might actually mean. The Sacrament of Last Rites goes by a number of names: Anointing of the Sick, Sacrament of Extreme Unction, and the Last Sacrament (Communion before death as spiritual food for a spiritual journey). He gave us a little booklet that we can carry with us containing some Catholic prayers that we can pray with the patients and some prayers that we can give them to pray when a chaplain is not with them.

Then he talked about baptizing dead babies.

As I mentioned before, this is not a good subject with me. There is a wing of the hospital dedicated to IUFD's (in utero fetal demise); it is a wing devoted to a thing which should never be. Fr. Barry asked us to think about our own theology and if it would allow us to baptize a baby who was stillborn or died shortly after birth as well as gave us an alternative service for naming and recognizing the baby before saying goodbye. Such a heartbreaking subject. He said, in the end, when he is called to a situation like this, he goes ahead and baptizes the deceased baby, because he is then doing pastoral care work for the parents. I suppose that if and when it comes down to it, this is what I would likely do as well, despite my own feelings about its efficacy.

The rest of the afternoon we were given off, as our supervisor had to do something else, so I came home and worked on my learning goals (after writing my already late Ember Day letter). My first learning goal is to become more comfortable with death. I will work on this goal in a variety of ways throughout the summer, but I'd rather not go into it now because I need to see if what I have typed up is appropriate or not.

Incidentally, right after the morning check-in sesion, they had a very nice reception for us with coffee, juice, and coffee cakes. During this reception I introduced myself to Fr. Moore, an Episcopal priest and the hospital's Clinical Ethicist, Mr. Wilson, the New Zealander head of the Critical Care team, with whom I hope to be working closely, and Rabbi Kazan, who handles the Jewish ministry. (There is not a Muslim chaplain, but I think it would be exciting, given my interests, to minister to both Jewish and Muslim patients in addition to Christian ones!) Rabbi Kazan and Mr. Wilson, in the course of a normal conversation, gave the best description of CPE I have heard yet without intending to do so. I told my supervisor that she needed to write this one down, because it was so excellent. She looked enthused, but when she inquired of them, they responded, "Ok...well...hmmm...what did we say again?" So, practicing my verbatim skills, I will here render it to the best of my ability so my supervisor can write it down herself. The quotes came as a response to a comment of mine that the orientation session seemed long (2 weeks):

Rabbi Kazan: "It is long, but it's not enough. You're being inundated with information that has no practical value to you because you've not been in a clinical situation yet. In two weeks, when you do start making your rounds, you'll encounter hundreds of things about which you'll say, 'We never covered this in orientation.'"

Mr. Wilson: "But CPE isn't about learning all this 'stuff'. Those answers you already have within you. CPE is about discovering yourself and how to find those answers that already lie within."

Wow.

-R

[Later: I forgot to mention the exchange that took place amongst Fr. Moore, Mr. Wilson and I.

Mr. Wilson: The trouble with CPE for you Episcopal folk is that there isn't a wine and cheese reception on Friday afternoons.

Ryan: How about something on the rocks?

Fr. Moore: Come to my office at 3pm on Fridays. We have a secret meeting.]