Chaplaincy Profile

In the Diocese of Parramatta, all full time Chaplains of any denominations take two days off. The Pastoral Care Department in all hospitals is usually closed on weekends. Only we Camillian Chaplains go on duty on Saturdays in exchange for Mondays off.  We asked for that arrangement with the Diocese and Pastoral Care Departments of the Westmead General Hospital and the Children's Hospital at Westmead to accommodate our community day off.   Sunday is supposedly the personal day off for us Camillian Chaplains, but we help out in celebrating Masses at Sacred Heart Parish Westmead and other parishes. We make ourselves available also for other ministries.

Monday, as mentioned earlier, is our community day off.  We are off from work both in the hospitals and in the parish. We spend the day for community activities, personal transactions, and manualia/laboranda.

Tuesdays to Saturdays are our working days. We wish to share some glimpses into what happens on those days.  In this September Update, Fr. Jojo Eloja and Fr. Nilo Deligero outline their chaplaincy schedule. 

Fr. Jojo in Westmead General Hospital:

Fr. Jojo Eloja, MI started working in this hospital on 1st October 2002 and was officially appointed as full-time Catholic Chaplain on 1st January 2003.  In keeping with the policy of Denominational Chaplaincy, he visits mainly Catholic patients.  Chaplains have a particular ward assignment, but they can visit other wards/patients if requested.  Each Chaplain has his own pager.

Fr. Jojo follows this schedule:

• Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30am to 4:30pm covering Thurs.& Fri. night calls till Sunday 7:30am
• Wednesday Mass at 12:00nn

Other Chaplains:

• Fr. Luke Rawlings, OP - Sunday, 7:30am to Tuesday, 8:30am covering Sunday and Monday night calls till Tuesday, 8:30am. Then, Tuesday night calls till Wednesday, 8:30am and Wednesday night calls till Thursday, 8:30am
• Joy Bowen - Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Sr. Judy Dynan, FMM - Monday to Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm
• Fr. Michael Gimena, M.I. - Thursday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
• Deacon Tan - a Permanent Deacon comes every Saturday morning to prepare the lists of patients receiving Holy Communion
• Eucharistic Ministers - come from different parishes in the Diocese of Parramatta every Sunday, 9am to 11am to help give Communion

Fr. Nilo in Children's Hospital at Westmead:

Fr. Nilo Deligero, Jr., M.I. was officially appointed as full-time Catholic Chaplain in this hospital sometime in the first week of November 2007.  Since the hospital provides Ecumenical Chaplaincy, Fr. Nilo visits all the patients in his Ward Area (the Pedi Intensive Care Unit, Neurology Ward, and Mental Assessment Ward) regardless of their religion. Chaplains have a particular ward assignment but can visit other wards/patients if requested. Each Chaplain has his own pager.

Fr. Nilo’s work program is as follows:

• Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30am to 4:30pm covering Tuesday to Wednesday night calls 
• Friday Mass at 12:30pm at the Hospital Quiet Room (ecumenical sacred space/room)

Other Chaplains:

• Sr. Patricia Bolster, RSM - Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm
• Sr. Narelle Whiteman, SSJ - Thursday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
• Parramata Cathedral Priests are on-call from Sunday, 8:00am to Tuesday, 8:30am 
• Camillian Priests are on the roster weekly for night calls - Thursday, Friday, & Saturday nights, 6:00pm to 8:00am

Fr. Jojo, who happened to be in town for his home visit, graciously acquiesced to an ambush interview by Scholastic Mushtaq Anjum.  Here are a few more details that Mushtaq gathered.

For Fr. Jojo the day begins with morning prayer both in the community and in Westmead Hospital, where the prayer service is ecumenical.  In this specialised tertiary referral hospital with a 975 bed capacity, he serves with other full time chaplains representing various denominations. Together they compose the hospital’s Pastoral Care Executive Committee, of which Fr. Jojo is the treasurer.  

The Westmead Chaplains provide emotional and spiritual support, preside over prayer and worship services and other rituals, and administer the sacraments. They consult on ethical issues and provide links with faith communities.

As a Catholic Chaplain, Fr. Jojo strives to respond effectively to the needs of the Roman Catholic patients and all other patients who seek his help.  The “How do you feel?” thing marks the ministry of each day, explains Fr. Jojo.  Aside from sacramental ministry, he says, the ministry of presence and of listening are essential. Fr. Jojo is assigned to the “Surgical-Medical Ward” where he works with two other full time chaplains and with Fr. Mike, MI who serves as a part time chaplain. On Thursdays, he is on call for 24 hours.

Asked about the challenges in his ministry, Fr. Jojo shared that “denominational chaplaincy is not an easy task.” He explained that one must learn to adjust and be keenly sensitive to and understanding of other people, cultures and religions. He expressed the hope for more religious being sent to support their workforce and he emphasized the importance of “specialization” in their fields of ministry.  

All in all, Fr. Jojo enjoys his present life and appreciates very much his community and the support they give to each other as they carry on with their ministry among the infirm.

By Sch. Mushtaq Anjum, MI