GiftTalk, Fall 2007 [Angels Program Article]

Title: The Angels Program Sustains Spiritual Support in the Hospital Setting

By Claire S. Gould, L&M Hospital Intern

During a hospital stay, patients and family members often come to recognize the
importance of spiritual and emotional support to help them through a difficult and often
stressful time. Marilyn Percy did, when her brother who was visiting the area became
critically ill and had to be rushed to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital. It prompted the
start of Marilyn’s involvement with the Pastoral Care Department and she has been
volunteering for the program for more than 16 years, having also served as President of
the Chaplaincy Board for numerous terms. “The chaplain was such a positive presence
during my brother’s illness, right up until his death,” she says. “I wanted to give back to
a program that had helped us so much.” In addition to volunteering, she joined The
Angels.

David Lauler, M.D., founded The Angels in 1987 as a fundraising program for interfaith
pastoral care. Since then, membership in The Angels has grown considerably, with the
funds collected helping to provide supplies and devotional materials used in pastoral care,
as well as sponsoring L&M’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program (CPE), which has
received national accreditation for clerical students to hone skills in a clinical setting.

Chaplaincy at Lawrence & Memorial cares for people of all faiths -- patients, their loved
ones, and hospital staff -- as well as those unaffiliated with a specific religion. “We’re
here to help patients and their friends and families to achieve a peace of mind and peace
of heart amidst uncertainty,” says Brother Robert Vozzo, the hospital’s Catholic
Chaplain. “When a patient isn’t responding to medicine, or is fearful of going in for
surgery, we’re here to listen and comfort.” He adds that staff members confront difficult
situations while on the job and they, too, sometimes need spiritual recharging.

Human beings often respond well to a sympathetic ear. “When the normal course of your
life is disrupted, we’re here as a stabilizing force. It’s okay to be fearful,” says The
Reverend Anne Kowalczyk, Lawrence & Memorial’s chaplain. “Patients get well in a
variety of ways. Being spiritually and emotionally well is an important step in healing,
whether or not there is full physical recovery. In a place where time is scarce, we’re able
to take the time and talk to patients to discuss their fears and hopes.”

Donations from The Angels Fund provide memory books and remembrance items for
infants who have died, scholarships for students in the hospital’s CPE program, support
towards the Hospital’s Special Needs Fund for emergency situations, interfaith religious
texts and flowers for the chapel, devotional materials, and Care Note brochures designed
to comfort those who are under stress, who are dealing with the death of loved ones, or
who are fearful. “It’s important to support spiritual life as well as MRI machines and
other life-saving equipment, because spiritual healing and medical technology go hand-
in-hand to help a patient recover,” Marilyn Percy says.
Those interested in supporting the quality of life and spiritual care of patients at L&M are
encouraged to join The Angels. Donors will enjoy recognition of their support in the bi-
annual Pastoral Care newsletter Faith In Action, and their names are featured on a
commemorative plaque located in the Hospital’s Interfaith Chapel. For more
information, please contact the Department of Pastoral Care at 860-442-0711, ext. 2305
or the Hospital’s Office of Development at ext. 2240.

***

[Repro of The Angels membership form at bottom.]