Beaumont Hospital. Volunteers packed out the chapel at Beaumont Hospital for a Mass to celebrate the diverse range of ministries that take place there.
Papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown commissioned 40 new Ministers of the Eucharist during the Mass, which brought together representatives from all the different ministries within the hospital.
In addition to staff chaplains, Beaumont Hospital has a cohort of more than 170 lay ministers who work across all sections of the hospital in serving the sick, including Ministers of the Eucharist, Ministers of the Word and pastoral associates.
The ministries in the hospital have been running for over 25 years and are expanding all the time into different areas, such as music.
Catherine Clarke of the Beaumont Hospital chaplaincy team said the volunteers provide an “invaluable service and give up their free time on a weekly basis to help in the hospital as well as volunteering within their own parishes”.
Local secondary school students also volunteer in Beaumont, bringing Communion to the sick on a daily basis.
“This is excellent with regard to the idea of handing on these ministries to the younger generations and creating a continuation as the years progress,” Ms Clarke said.
“Beaumont is the leading hospital with regard to this ministry and there are no other hospitals in Dublin that provide such an extensive volunteer service.
“The staff and patients of the hospital really value this work and there is a huge respect for the service that we provide across all sections of the hospital,” she said.
Speaking before the Mass, Beaumont Hospital Chief Executive Liam Duffy said the celebration was a “special occasion” in the life of the hospital.
“The chaplaincy team provides an amazing service with people giving up their time freely to support sick patients and staff,” he said.