Chaplains bring Christ's healing

PATERSON  Father Francis Conde looks like some kind of modern-day knight, when all suited up from head-to-toe in his “armor” of sorts — shoe coverings, gown, gloves, face shield and hairnet. It takes three minutes for the priest chaplain to put on this medical gear — his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) — which he needs today to keep him safe, when ministering directly to COVID-19 and other patients in St. Joseph’s University Medical Center here. The hospital has become one of the numerous battlegrounds in hard-hit New Jersey fighting the pandemic.

On his rounds at St. Joseph’s, Father Conde counts on his PPE and following sound safety practices to prevent him from getting infected with the coronavirus, as he ministers to suffering and dying patients by remaining physically present to them. Because this approach does not allow him to follow social distancing, the priest also relies on God’s special PPE: “his Peace for my soul, Protection for my body and the assurance of his Exquisite love to enable me to continue with courage and compassion to minister to our COVID-19 patients.”

This pandemic has compelled Catholic chaplains in the Diocese who are serving hospitals and prisons to change their approaches or even limit some of their previous outreach to follow the social restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus while creating a “new normal.” Yet, these chaplains keep their hearts focused on their fundamental mission: to bring Christ’s healing, love, mercy and strength to patients, families and hospital staff in their darkest hours.

“Empowered by God’s grace, and physically protected by PPE, I visit COVID-19 patients in their rooms and administer the Anointing of the Sick and the Apostolic Pardon to Catholics,” said Father Conde. He anoints patients by placing a small amount of the Oil of the Sick on his glove, using a new glove for each patient. “Like the doctors and nurses, who are physically present to the patients, chaplains are present to tend to the spiritual well-being of patients. We are ministers of what is even beyond the ephemeral: the salvation of souls. There is no sense of socially distancing from infected patients in this time of ‘war,’ because we have the full armor of PPE, both physical and spiritual,” he said.

Father Conde admitted that the large number of deaths from COVID-19 “has brought tears to my eyes, but also has renewed my commitment to be present to the sick and dying.” In the hospital, run by the Sisters of Charity, he visits patients at various stages of their illness — from those on a ventilator because they are having difficulty breathing and those who are too weak to get out of bed, to those who are happily “on the mend.”

Father Conde said he finds fulfillment in bringing Christ’s love to the heartbroken families who are not able to visit their loved ones in their time of need, due to health precautions. Father Conde, a St. Joseph’s chaplain for 14 years, offers them prayers and support when he communicates with them through video chat, text message and other digital applications.

In response to the pandemic, each healthcare system has developed its own safety precautions for staff in his hospitals — based on public health guidelines — that vary significantly. For example, St. Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic and Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains encourage chaplains to communicate with patients and families using a cell phone or iPad, said Father Robert Wisniefski, a pries-chaplain at both hospitals.

“One day, a nurse at Chilton put a non-COVID-19 man, who was dying, on FaceTime with me. I could not give him Anointing of the Sick but I was able to give him a blessing and recite some prayers. I would have rather been able to anoint him and be with him. But as chaplains, we are trying to find creative ways to minister — putting people in God’s hands,” said Father Wisniefski, who pursued chaplaincy following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

At St. Mary’s, the Catholic priest-chaplains celebrate Mass in the chapel on either Saturday night or Sunday morning. Staffers in attendance observe social distancing in the chapel, while patients watch the liturgy on a closed-circuit TV system. Father Wisniefski serves at Chilton with Father Andrew Peretta, a retired diocesan priest.

Like many other chaplains, the two priests have a front-seat view of the heroes who are fighting the battle against the virus: the doctors, physicians’ assistants and nurses, who “have a tough job,” said Father Wisniefski with admiration.

“Some staff members have gotten sick with COVID-19 but are OK now. They are truly on the frontline. They do not let fear get in the way. They stay focused on doing the job that they have to do. It takes a toll on them to see the sheer volume of death that they’ve seen in the past few months. But they don’t get upset on the job; instead, they have a cry later, when they get home,” Father Wisniefski said. “Both hospitals encourage their staffs to talk to chaplains of any faith, including us, for their own spiritual health,” he said.

At Morristown Memorial Medical Center, Deacon James McGovern of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Sparta, a permanent deacon of the Diocese, is also permitted to visit patients in the COVID-19 unit but is prohibited from entering their rooms. He interacts with patients using an iPad, cell phone or baby monitor to talk to them, while looking into their rooms through the glass from the hall. Morristown’s regulations require Deacon McGovern and other chaplains to stand at least six feet away from patients’ doors and wear a surgical mask, although they do not have to wear a full PPE outfit, he said.

“With this virus, we are trying to adapt. We are coming up with new ways of reaching out to our patients to offer them consolation and support,” said Deacon McGovern, who now is studying in the hospital’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program, to become a certified chaplain. On his rounds, he asks the nurses about “who is up for a visit.” Sometimes when the deacon is talking with a patient, a nurse has to hold the device up to the patients’ face, because he or she lacks the strength to hold it. A few patients cannot talk at all, because they have been intubated. “It’s better to minister to patients, when you can see them. Because I don’t have a lot of time with them, I try to assure them of my presence to them,” he said.

Like Father Conde and Father Wisniefski, Deacon McGovern finds it gratifying to minister to families who “are distressed,” because they are prohibited from visiting their sick loved ones. Recently, the son of a man who had COVID-19 told the deacon, “I wish I could be there with my father but I am at peace knowing that he has had a full life and that as he prepares to go to the Lord, you will be there with him.”

“This experience ministering to coronavirus patients has reaffirmed my commitment to serve as a chaplain — to pour myself out for others. I sense that God has called me in this moment and for this moment to support the patients, families and staff,” Deacon McGovern said.

The pandemic also has affected prison ministry, such as the chaplaincy of Deacon Glen Murphy of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sparta, also a permanent deacon of the Diocese, who works in Northern State Prison in Newark. At the request of inmates, he visits their cells, counseling them, praying with them, giving them blessings and dropping off religious material. He protects himself — and others — by wearing a mask and gloves, washing his hands frequently and practicing as much social distancing as possible.

For now, the prison, which houses 2,400 male inmates, has prohibited the holding of group activities in its chapel, which had included Mass, Bible study, centering prayer and formation for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. So Deacon Murphy records his reading of the Gospel and delivers his homily to be broadcast on the prison’s TV system for inmates to watch, he said.

“I’m always being cautious [about health precautions], even before the coronavirus,” Deacon Murphy said. “We chaplains are needed in here. We talk with the inmates and help give them a feeling of peace, while they are in prison. We also give them a spiritual foundation so they can face temptations when they are released back into the world. We do not let the virus stop us. Our work is too important,” he said.