On Thursday, May 14th, Chaplain Derek Cain invited nurses at MCRC to be blessed by a special “Blessing of the Hands Service.” Chaplain Derek traveled to each neighborhood and with warmth and gratitude thanked and blessed the nurses as a part of our recognition of National Nurses Week, [http://www.nursingworld.org/NationalNursesWeek]. Together nurses and Chaplain Derek read the following litany:
Leader: This is Holy Ground.
People: We’re standing on Holy Ground.
Leader: For God is present.
People: And where God is, is Holy.
Leader: These are Holy hands.
People: God’s given us holy hands.
Leader: God works through these hands.
People: And so these hands are Holy.
Leader: Where God is, is Holy.
People: The work of our hands is Holy work.
The anointing oil was then blessed and we remembered how oil has been used as a base for medicine since ancient times. We asked that the fragrance of the oil be a symbolic offering of what is pleasing to God and that its texture would remind us that the soothing work of our hands is also pleasing to God.
Each nurse cupped their hands and Chaplain Derek used the oil to make the sign of the cross in their palms and said, “May the work of your hands bring healing and hope to all who you touch.”
This brief moment of blessing was shared with all our nurses and was a significant and important proclamation of their worth and dedicated service. After each nurse was blessed they were sent with these words:
Leader: God blesses our hands for service.
People: We receive the strength offered by our creator.
Leader: Let us also receive the vision to see with the eyes of our hearts.
People: And encourage in difficult times.
Leader: May all whose lives we touch come to know God’s love
People: May that same love be a consolation to us.
Leader: Let us return to our duties with blessed hands that are attentive, healing, meticulous, reliable, and hard-working.
People: We go, renewed and refreshed, ready to imagine healing in new ways.
A big thank you to all our nurses for their healing and kind hands that deliver care in our home!