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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 13573
[Native]
Date Posted:
7/29/2005
7:32:18 am EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 6,762
RSS: 20,674
Comments: 14
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Catholic Hospital Adds Room For Indians
Author: James MacPherson, Associated Press Source: Bismarck Tribune (ND)
Title: CATHOLIC HOSPITAL ADDS ROOM FOR INDIANS
On Thursday, the [St. Alexius Medical Center] hospital dedicated a $350,000 solarium and meditation room that may be used for such things as burning sage, cedar or sweetgrass, or for singing or drumming.
The meditation room, 12 feet by 20 feet, is intended to serve people of non-Christian faiths, or those "for whom the main chapel is not suitable," Zastoupil said.
John Eagle Shield, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, helped push to get the meditation room at the hospital so American Indians could practice their sacred traditions.
"We have had a lot of tribal people come here in the past who have said they were the victims of misunderstanding," Eagle Shield said. "A lot of people were reluctant to come here."
Eagle Shield said the meditation room was several years in the making, and was a result of "sensitivity sessions" held with the hospital.
The hospital has published rules for use of the room. The use of peyote and other drugs is prohibited, as is the "practice of any religion or act which is diametrically opposed to the Roman Catholic Church." The hospital lists "Satanism, Wicca and Voodoo" as examples.
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Community Thoughts: There are 14 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Sensitivity Sessions | Jul 31st. at 11:05:47 pm EDT
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GreeneDragon (Palmdale, California) - Email Me
Maybe we should learn a lesson from our Native American friends...
>> "We have had a lot of tribal people come here
>> in the past who have said they were the
>> victims of misunderstanding, " Eagle Shield
>> said. "A lot of people were reluctant to come here."
>> Eagle Shield said the meditation room was
>> several years in the making, and was a result
>> of "sensitivity sessions" held with the hospital.
Perhaps somone in the area could approach John Eagle Shield and see if they will help with the process they have used so it can be expanded to teach the hospital about Wiccan and other pagan faiths.
I would suggest however that since the effort was theirs for the bennefit of their tribal members we should respect that foremost and not harm the good they have already accomplished -- it would be arrogant to come into this with less patience then the tribe members have put into this effort.
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| Couldn't They Make This Sham Any Clearer? | Jul 29th. at 6:44:11 pm EDT
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
It's just for show, as they mean nothing by it. Especially if one reads and goes by the rather restrictive rules. That's why I choose -any- other hospital than an RC one. I think I would even prefer the beads and rattles of the local shaman to those nuns and clergy hanging around waiting to "save" my soul.
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| So Who Is Going To Be Using This Room? | Jul 29th. at 3:13:21 pm EDT
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OneWitch (Calgary, Alberta) - Email Me
The use of peyote and other drugs is prohibited, as is the "practice of any religion or act which is diametrically opposed to the Roman Catholic Church." The hospital lists "Satanism, Wicca and Voodoo" as examples.
Well, another example to add to that list would be the spiritual practices of First Nations peoples - the very people and practices that the room is supposed to accomodate. Let's not forget that in the days of the residence schools, any form of spiritual practice carried out by the inmates such as smudging, singing, drum beating, even quiet meditation was banned and punished by severe beating. If that's not evidence of what the church considers "diametrically opposed" I don't know what is.
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| Another Quick Hospital Story | Jul 29th. at 2:17:13 pm EDT
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jim (orlando, Florida) - Email Me
There's a seveth-day adventist hospital here in town. When we first moved into town, my wife, (who's an HP) , called the hospitals in town to volunteer as on-call clergy for anyone requesting a pagan HP. {She's done this in every new town we moved into.} This particular hospital told her she wasn't welcome to even volunteer, 'cause even if someone asked, there's no way they would call a pagan HP for any reason. About 4 months ago, she had an MRI, and there was a brain bleed.. this particular hospital is the best around for neurosurgery, so that's where our Dr. sent us.. it was very nerve wracking checking in. We walked in to a 5' tall picture of Jesus in the foyer, biblical posters every 3 feet, biblical statues in every alcove and hallway.. I was expecting pitchforks and torches any minute. When we finally got admitted to the neuroICU (6 hours later, there was some issue with her paperwork) ... she was fit to be tied..... and the first nurse we ran into on the floor... was Pagan. As was half the staff. Their explanation was that it sucked.. and was a discriminatory environment, but they had to work somewhere, and at least the religious zealots paid well. I'm still not sure what the mother was trying to convey with that little "learning experience"... but it was interesting.....
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| No Polyester | Jul 29th. at 2:10:01 pm EDT
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Ahr-Ohn (Bridgeport, Connecticut) - Email Me
I hope that the room hasn't Polyester, or the smell of one Smudging won't be gotten out before the next.
"The hospital has published rules for use of the room. The use of peyote and other drugs is prohibited, as is the "practice of any religion or act which is diametrically opposed to the Roman Catholic Church." The hospital lists "Satanism, Wicca and Voodoo" as examples."
I don't think Reformed Anglican Animism or Ancestral Petitioning would be any trouble, as long as Smudging is kept non-allergenic and the Drumming Circles are kept quiet. A lot of the ritually oppressed tend to forget basic courtesies.
The big problem of Incense in Hospitals would have to do with Oxygen Tanks.
Arawn
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| Sorry Sister. | Jul 29th. at 11:06:50 am EDT
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Lora (Leominster, Massachusetts) - Email Me
This is not the first meditation room in hospitals. It's not even the first in Catholic hospitals. In fact, girlie, it's pretty backwards and ignorant, because most meditation rooms and chaplains don't give a rat's behind who wants to go into the chapel or meditation room or what have you to pray, meditate, spellcast, hang out and relax, cry, whatever.
UNC's Doernbacher's Children's Hospital, O'Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens, OH, Seattle Children's Hospital, Placentia-Linda Hospital in California, Portsmouth Hospital, Dayton Heart Hospital...
To quote the Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland's chaplain services website, "Chaplains provide spiritual support to members of all faiths, and will help arrange a visit from your local clergy upon request." Yes, Sister, it's a Catholic hospital that provides services to ALL faiths! Lookit that! And at St. Joseph's, St. Mary's and Holy Cross in Arizona, "Clergy of all denominations are welcome." They all have meditation rooms, some with beautiful artwork, for all faiths. Some provide a lot more than a vaguely Eastern-facing window, too--they even provide (holy moly) a Muslim imam to recite the prayers!
These days, any hospital big enough to have a chapel seems to also have a mediation room as a standard part of the package. It's weird, I didn't think they cloistered nuns anymore.
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| Maybe They Should Put Up A Sign | Jul 29th. at 10:09:02 am EDT
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Rowan Foxfyre (Indianapolis, Indiana) - Email Me
Catholics Only. Quite frankly injuries/illnesses are only partially treated my medicine, there is a large spiritual aspect to healing and if they can't respect ALL others faiths they are doing a disservice to the people they serve. If I were sick, I wouldn't turn away the offer of someone to Pray for me but if they told me that others of MY faith couldn't do so I'd immediatly check out of there regardless of the consequences.
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| Diametrically Opposed? | Jul 29th. at 9:01:36 am EDT
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Gary Penzler (Burlington, Ontario) - Email Me
The Catholic faith allows NO other faiths -- they are the path to salvation, all else sends you straight to Hell.
By their own definitions, ALL other faiths are diametrically opposed to Catholicism.
This move is entirely meaningless.
~Gary
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| I Thought It Was A Pretty Nice Gesture... | Jul 29th. at 8:20:56 am EDT
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BlueManticore (Tinley Park, Illinois) - Email Me
until I read on and found that they are not as open-minded as I first thought. Hopefully, somehow they will get some education about Wicca so they will learn that it is the Roman Catholic Church that is "diametrically opposed" to Wicca and not the other way around. Then they will rethink their discrimination and realize how illogical it is to allow American Indian religious practices but not other Nature-based religions to use the room. I'm not holding my breath, though. :- (
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| ... | Jul 29th. at 7:41:23 am EDT
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web
Can anyone else say "recruiting for the Christian cult?" Seriously, that's the only reason I can think of that they'd put this meditation room up in the first place. It would be confirmed if they allowed religions they consider diametrically opposed to their cult in that room.
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