![]() ![]() ![]() In some cases, hospital chaplains have ministered to families who have had more than one relative die from the virus, sometimes only weeks apart, Father Tamiian said. “We all hear the stories that it is very difficult for the families to be at home away from their loved ones.” ![]() The coronavirus pandemic has emphasized the need for chaplains to support patients’ families, who are often limited in visiting relatives in the hospital, Father Tamiian said. The chaplains also have been able to support the doctors, nurses and other staff who worry about brining the virus home with them and infecting their families, he added. “They were very much welcome and there side-by-side with the doctors offering support for the patients,” Father Tamiian said. He has been impressed that at Saint Thomas, with the support of the medical staff, the chaplains have been able to see patients. “In the beginning, it was very difficult when we didn’t have enough” personal protective equipment, said Father Tamiian, who was working at a hospital system in Southern California before coming to Saint Thomas. Despite the difficulties, he said, “being there for all of them who are affected is important.” The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected large numbers of people and can move quickly from one person to the next, has affected the work of hospital chaplains, Father Tamiian said. The role of hospital chaplains is constantly developing as they work side-by-side with other health care professionals to address the emotional and spiritual needs of patients, families, and staff, Father Tamiian said. “For us here at Saint Thomas we continue that in the tradition of the Daughters of Charity,” who founded Saint Thomas Hospital in 1898, he said. Today’s Catholic hospitals and health care facilities continue the work of the priests and religious sisters who founded them, Father Tamiian said. “The Church has been intentional in that type of ministry to bring hope and healing to the world,” Father Tamiian said. He noted that Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne decreed that every cathedral and monastery have a hospital attached to it, and even today 25 percent of all health care services in the world are provided by Catholic institutions. The healing ministry of Jesus has always been important for the Church, Father Tamiian said. “The ministry itself is an opportunity to lead the mission of the Church and personally to connect with that healing ministry of Jesus.” “It is a position of support and strategy development,” Father Tamiian said.Īnother aspect of the job is integrating the pastoral care education of residents and interns pursuing a ministry as a hospital chaplain, he said.īeing a hospital chaplain is “an amazing opportunity to care for people in some of the most difficult and challenging times,” Father Tamiian said. That led to a 20-year career in hospital ministry, and this month he began his new job as the Ascension Saint Thomas System Director for Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education.įather Tamiian will oversee the pastoral care for the entire Ascension Saint Thomas Health System in Middle Tennessee. “I was running in the opposite direction from suffering,” he said.īut his life turned when “a brother priest suffering without much hope was able to receive the proper treatment.” While visiting his friend at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Father Tamiian met some hospital chaplains and watched them at work. As a young priest, Father Calin Tamiian wasn’t looking for a ministry as a hospital chaplain.
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