Hospice Ministry Brings Hope

“It’s a very delicate and precious time to be invited into somebody’s home and into their life,” Sister Ann Daly, chaplain with Hospice of Orange and Sullivan, explains about hospice ministry. “It’s a real privilege and an honor, because it teaches us. They teach us a lot about life.”

This is echoed by Sister Maria Lopez, chaplain at Hudson Vally Hospice. “I am humbled by the appreciation I experience from patients and families of all religious convictions that a Catholic sister is part of their life at this time,” she shares. “I believe my ministry is one way in which God reminds those in my care that they are loved unconditionally by a kind, compassionate, forgiving and welcoming God who has loved them each day of their lives and now rejoices in welcoming them home.”

According to the Hospice of Orange and Sullivan website, “Hospice is about approaching life with hope, spending time and focusing energy on life’s most important issues and the people we love.” As chaplains for hospice ministry, Ann and Maria provide spiritual care and support to patients and their families.

“The whole idea is to help that person live as fully as possible every day,” Ann says. 

Ann became involved in hospice ministry after beginning her ministry life as an educator. She had always felt called to nursing. When she decided to move into health care, she decided to begin at a nursing home where she had previously brought students for bingo nights. She had considered taking nursing classes while working, but God had other plans for her. After having begun as a nurse’s assistant, the nurses with whom she worked saw the great value of her experience as an educator. 

While the state of New York was looking at certifying 14 of the 47 groups in the state for hospice care, the organization where Ann would soon work was not chosen. However, they proactively decided they should become certified under the department of education. In 1982, Ann was hired and went through the hospice training program, calling it the “the best experience I ever had.” 

Beginning as the director of hospice planning and educational foundation, Ann had the opportunity to speak to various groups about hospice. It took until 1988 for the program to be certified as a hospice facility.

Maria also began in education ministry, coupled with time spent working in parish ministry. She was completing her service as the coordinator for the International Presentation Association and discerning her next ministry when she received a call from the spiritual care director at Hudson Valley Hospice.

“I drove past the hospice office in Kingston each day and imagined myself volunteering there someday,” she shares. She says the offer of a position as chaplain was “providential” as God was calling her to this new ministry.

Maria explains, “I am privileged to enter people’s lives at a most critical time. I have had patients from 3 months of age to 106 years old. Each is unique and precious.”

Both sisters say that the roots of their hospice ministry can be traced all the way back to Nano Nagle in the 1700s. “Nano Nagle has always been an inspiration to me,” Maria says. “I am happy to tell people our foundress was a hospice chaplain!”

Sister Ann explains that Nano went out to the poor,  those who were sick and hungry as well as those who were hungering for spiritual needs. Hospice ministry is an extension of that work.

Beyond the needs of the patient, the family and caregivers are also served by the compassion of a hospice chaplain and the whole hospice team, which includes nurses, aides and social workers, among others. “The family is the unit of care,” Ann says. “If somebody in the family is having a hard time, they also need the support of a social worker. It’s the whole family that we serve.”

There is a misunderstanding that hospice ministry is only about death. Both sisters find a great deal of hope in what they do. Maria says, “I find great hope in the goodness I see in the patients and families I accompany. I find hope in the extraordinary commitment and compassion I see in my co-workers. I also find hope in the awakening of society today to the need for spiritual care.”

Ann says those with whom she works want to be heard and to listen; they want to know what is going on around them and know they are still alive and have worth. “I make people feel heard and talk to them,” she explains. “I don’t ever go in to take away hope. I have learned over the years to take one day at a time. Nobody can really know how someone feels. We let them know we know it isn’t easy for them, and we want to try to make it as comfortable as it can be.”

As chaplains, Maria says the care extends beyond the life of the patient. They also provide celebrations of life and funerals for families. “We believe every life is worth celebrating and, when financial or other concerns would prevent a family from having a beautiful, dignified service for their loved ones, we offer that service.”

In addition to direct service to patients and their families, hospice also offers a great deal of education in the community. In addition, residential facilities like the one with which Ann works have begun to provide temporary respite care so, for example, the patient can stay at the residence to allow family to travel out of state or for them to attend a family wedding. 

Ann concludes, “We are on a journey our whole lives. We aren’t going to be here forever. Hospice is a place where you can go and receive comfort and support. In this ministry I am doing the work of my community in giving compassionate care to those in need. I have decided not to retire until my body tells me I must. I can still make people laugh and let them have a good day. I think that is the best thing I could ever do.”