The Central Clinical Hospital of St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow hosted a short-term course of service for volunteers. The training was organized by the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service. The course was attended by 45 people — those who already help in hospitals and those who want to start this ministry. Participants learned about the spiritual foundations of helping in hospitals, learned about the experience of the ministry of nurses and discussed the organization of volunteer work.
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On the first day of the course, Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, acting chairman of the Synodal Department for Charity, and Priest Vladimir Sukhanov, coordinator of assistance in hospitals in Moscow and the Moscow region, conducted the classes.
In the course of the class Archpriest Mikhail Potokin spoke about how to prepare a hospital patient for the sacraments of the Church, what books and prayers to recommend to him, what manner of behavior to choose when communicating, what not to do and say in order not to harm the person.
«A person who asks questions about the sacraments of the Church, about the spiritual life, should be treated with care, — Father Michael noted. — We are called not to harm, but to help to the patient. And if a sister or brother does not know the answer to a question, there is no need to be ashamed to say so. It is better to check with the priest than to say something inaccurate or insincere.
Priest Vladimir Sukhanov touched on the specifics of ministry in hospitals. He drew attention to the fact that patients are often traumatized, and care, sensitivity and attentiveness are needed to communicate with them.
Priest Vladimir Sukhanov touched upon the specifics of ministry in hospitals.
The second day of the course was dedicated to the basics of the ministry. Tribute sisters shared their long experience of working in hospitals — Ekaterina Titova spoke about the basic skills of a Tribute sister and help in preparing for the sacraments, and Maria Zyryanova — about the peculiarities of ministry in hospitals.
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«We hold short-term courses in the sacramental ministry as needed, — noted Natalia Shakuro, head of hospital ministry at the Synodal Department for Charity. — New hospitals are opened where we begin our ministry. Volunteers are often in short supply, new people need to be trained. The work of lay brothers and sisters does not mean independent service, but assistance to the priest. This is a very important direction, which requires an understanding of the peculiarities of ministry in the hospital.
Previous Volunteer Lay Ministry courses went last April. Today, more than 500 nursing volunteers are already helping in hospitals in Moscow and the Moscow region. They have completed courses organized by the Training Center of St. Alexis Hospital with the support of the Synodal Department for Charity. More than 3,400 volunteer applications were submitted for the courses.
News and stories about Church social ministry are published in Telegram channel «Church Affairs» and in the groups of the Synodal Department for Charity in VK, OK, on Youtube channel.
.You can help refugees and affected civilians at helpvbede.rf. You can support church social projects on the online platform of the Synodal Department for Charity «Let's Help».
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