As part of Spiritual Care Week, Covenant Care’s Holy Cross Manor and St. Marguerite Manor in Calgary offered a blessing of the hands to staff. This tangible expression of gratitude recognizes the contributions of staff, including the care and compassion they provide to residents with their hands.
Chaplain De-Anne Smit at Holy Cross Manor was moved by a conversation she had with a staff member after the blessing.
“She told me that she gets up at 3:30 a.m. every day to go to her place of worship to pray before going to work,” says De-Anne.
“Before she works with a resident, she prays in her heart to help her provide compassionate care to them. The staff member said these activities further her connection to God. I was moved by her commitment to her spirituality and the way she brings it into her work.”
De-Anne says the leadership team also took part during one of their meetings, and it helped build a strong connection within the team and the site.
“This blessing of the hands has been so meaningful that I think it will become part of our future Spiritual Care Week celebrations. Our teams are very spiritual, and I appreciated the opportunity to see it in a tangible way.”