Catholic Chaplaincy

The Healing Ministry of Jesus Christ

The ultimate goal of the Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry of New York (DFHCMNY) is to bring Jesus into the hospitals of our parish for the salvation of souls. This is done through zealously living Dominican Spirituality, to contemplate the Truth of the Gospel, and then share the fruits of that contemplation through the ministry of the Sacraments, and a commitment to teaching the faith in its fullness with charity.

Concretely, this mission is accomplished by our volunteers, friars, and priests who visit the sick on a daily basis. They embody the teaching that Jesus gave us through the parable of the good Samaritan, caring for the spiritual needs of the sick on a daily basis.our volunteers share in the liturgical life of The Parish of Saint Catherine of Siena. It is in the life of prayer of both the Parish and the Dominican Community, that Friar or lay – person finds the strength and compassion to serve as Jesus served. Flowing from the needs of the patients, their families and our parishioners, the Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry of New York and the Church of Saint Catherine of Siena sponsor a cancer support group. The cancer support group offers participants the opportunity to meet to discuss the meaning of human suffering, and the way in which the salvific suffering of Jesus Christ enters into their own experience of suffering, pain and confusion.

Changing Lives

The Dominican Friars of Saint Catherine of Siena, aided by the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, visited 4938 patients in December and 4974 patients in November. This is the greatest number of patient visits made by the Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry on record, and it exceeds the annual average for 2011 by 20%. By using advanced statistical analysis we are able to record these numbers and receive constant feedback, allowing us to focus our energies on the places that need the most improvement.

Through our Healthcare Chaplaincy, we also provide consistent, twenty-four hour emergency coverage to each of the hospitals, ensuring that patients have access to the sacraments as needed. No other religion provides that level of coverage, and it is a tremendous witness of Christian charity.

To ensure the highest quality of care, each of our more than seventy Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion receives ongoing formation through our regular group meetings. Through the hospital’s evaluation process, patients often cite visits from these Extraordinary Ministers as the greatest comfort they had received during their hospital stay. With the dedicated work of our Coordinator of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, we are able to maintain this professional level of excellence as we attend to the needs of those patients and their families.