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Christians and Muslims create Quiet Room at Waikato Hospital
21 September 2011
Christians and Muslims create a Quiet Room at Waikato Hospital
Waiata, Christian and Muslim prayers were all part of the blessing and opening today (Wednesday 21 September) of a new Quiet Room for people of all faiths at Waikato Hospital.
The room was developed by the hospital’s chaplains working closely with hospital colleagues of the Muslim faith.
The room provides a venue for reflection, prayer or quiet time.
Rev Jan Calvert said the Quiet Room was the first time Christian and Muslim staff had jointly planned a shared space for prayer. “It has been a pleasure to work together and we trust it marks the beginning of a long partnership of mutual respect and understanding.”
Mark Spittal, general manager of Waikato and Thames Hospitals, spoke of the importance of the non-scientific dimension of human beings, in an environment where the focus is often on clinical and scientific work. “It is an equally important dimension of who we are.”
The history of the Waikato Hospital Chapel dates back to 1957 with laying of the foundation stone. The chapel had its first service of dedication on Sunday 16 November 1958.
In May this year the chapel was closed to allow extensive construction work as part of the Waikato Hospital campus redevelopment. Services have been held as usual at 10am Sunday in an alternative venue at the hospital, and a small room was made available for quiet reflection elsewhere but this proved to be too small for the number and diversity of people using it.
With management support, the chaplains took the opportunity to involve Muslim staff at the hospital to plan a more suitable and inclusive space.
The Quiet Room is on Level B1 of the Menzies Building.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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