The National Association of Catholic Chaplains

Menu
  • Membership
      • Apply for Membership
      • Frequently-Asked Questions about Membership
      • Request Retired Membership
      • State Liaisons
      • Newest Members
      • Membership Directory
      • Member map
      • Celebrating Our Members’ 25-year Membership and Certification
      • In Memoriam: deceased NACC members
    • Close
  • Certification
    • Initial Certification
      • Board Certified Chaplain (BCC)
      • Certified Associate Chaplain
      • Palliative Care and Hospice Advanced Certification (PCHAC)
      • VA Initial Board Certification
      • Recognition of Strategic Partners Certification
      • Newly Certified Chaplains
      • Close
    • Renewal of Certification
    • Certification Competencies & Procedures
      • Certification Competencies & Procedures
      • Important Background on NACC Certification Competencies
      • Professional Code of Ethics for Spiritual Care Professionals
      • Certification Commission
      • Certification Appeals Panel
      • Ethics Appeals Panel
      • Close
    • Mentors
    • Recognition of Strategic Partners Certification
    • Verifying Certification
    • Maintaining Certification in Retirement
    • Graduate Theological Programs
    • Close
  • Education Resources
      • 2023 Retreat
      • 2023 Webinar Series
      • Recorded webinars (2009-2022)
      • Calendar of Events
      • Graduate Theological Programs
      • CPE Programs
      • NACC Professional Networking Calls
      • Continuing Education Hour Requests – Guidelines and Forms
      • Ongoing Educational Opportunities
      • Local/Regional Gatherings & Events
      • Past Conferences (2004 – 2022)
      • Vision
    • Close
  • Resources
    • Antiracism Resources
    • Administrator Resources
    • Awareness Resources
    • Chaplaincy Care Resources
    • Coronavirus Resources & Updates
    • Job Listings
    • The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling
    • Partners in Pastoral Care
    • Research
    • Specialty Care Resources
    • Spirituality and Prayer Resources
    • Spiritual Care Department Resources
    • Vision
    • Close
  • About NACC
    • About the NACC
      • Mission/Vision/Values
      • Constitution and ByLaws
      • Strategic Plan
      • History
      • Close
    • Annual Awards
    • Association Leadership
      • NACC Board of Directors
      • Committees, Commissions, and Panels
      • National Office Staff
      • Episcopal Advisory Council
      • Close
    • Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC)
    • Choose Chaplaincy
    • Health Care Collaborators
    • NACC Merchandise
    • NACC Publications and Documents
      • Vision
      • NACC Now
      • Annual Reports & Financial Reviews
      • Documents and publications
      • NACC Blog
      • Close
    • Partners in Pastoral Care
    • Partners for Professional Excellence in Spiritual Care
    • Vision
    • Close
  • Choose Chaplaincy
  • Contact Us
      • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    • Close
  • Donate Now
  • Member Login
Home » Vision » Vision, September-October 2021 » Chaplains create ritual to help nursing staff cope with COVID losses

Chaplains create ritual to help nursing staff cope with COVID losses

By Katherine Lesch

At the end of last year, we had been through eight months of fighting COVID-19 at the hospital where I’m a chaplain. It had been what we thought was the worst. COVID patients could not have visitors even if they were dying. The hospital had two or three ICU units with COVID patients and one medical/surgical unit with 23 beds full of COVID patients who were not on ventilators but could very well be comfort care patients who were dying. Nursing staff would tell us, “They deteriorate so fast,” or “A patient is dying every shift,” or “We lost three patients in one shift.” It seemed we could not keep up with the deaths.

This particular day in December 2020, the nurse manager of the medical/surgical unit asked for extra care for her staff because the losses they had experienced had been so great. When the chaplain covering the unit asked how we could help, the manager asked for a ritual.

The three of us chaplains working that day pulled together to develop a ritual for the staff that afternoon. We held the service outside on a deck area at the hospital around 3 p.m. In attendance were the unit staff, the chief administrative officer of the hospital, and chaplains. Staff from the unit who couldn’t be present were connected through a Zoom link.

We were surprised to learn at the last minute that the marketing crew was coming to video the ritual and interview the nursing staff. The video ended up revealing how powerful a moment this impromptu ritual was for them. This is their story of compassion and care.

It was a windy December day. A chaplain gathered the group and explained the order of the service. We had a bowl of pebbles so each person could come up one at a time, pick up a pebble, write the name of someone who had died of COVID-19, and then drop it into a vase of water. One by one, the staff came forward, not only writing a name but taking the time to share the story of the person and their experience. It was a profound moment, standing in the wind, hearing the stories, reflecting, and being present to the people and the sorrow.

Another chaplain read the poem “Each of Us Has a Name” by Shirley Zelda, followed by a closing prayer. At the end of the service, a nurse poured the water from the vase onto the flower beds around the deck as a symbol of nurturing the new life to come in the spring.

The staff took the vase of pebbles, with a battery-operated candle symbolizing the light in the darkness, back to their unit, so that they could continue to write names and add pebbles to the vase. This ritual has carried the staff through almost a year now. They continue to remember each patient who dies, taking a moment to write the name on a pebble and placing it in the vase ­– the scared vessel holding the memory of patients along with the depth of care and compassion they received from this staff.

Katherine Lesch, BCC, is chaplain supervisor at UofL Health/Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY.

The National Association of Catholic Chaplains
Become a Member Would you like to get Certified?

Free Publications

Don’t miss the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter today! You don’t have to be a member to subscribe.

National Association of Catholic Chaplains
4915 S. Howell Avenue, Suite 501
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Get Directions

Phone: (414) 483-4898
Fax: (414) 483-6712
Email: info@nacc.org

Our office hours
Mon-Thur 8:00am – 5:00pm Central Time
Friday 8:00am – 12 Noon
Sat-Sun closed

Job Listings

Current job opportunities for chaplains, priests, CPE residents, supervisors, directors of pastoral care, managers, mission directors, and more.

Job Listings

Free Publications

Don’t miss the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter today! You don’t have to be a member to subscribe.

Donate Now

Learn more about making a tax-deductible donation to NACC.

Donate Now

Connect with us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
© 1997 - 2023 National Association of Catholic Chaplains - Sitemap

Built by Westwords