Pastoral Care is a ministry of healing which provides emotional and spiritual support to residents, their families, and staff of Father Murray Nursing Center. The Chaplains work as part of the healing team in conjunction with physicians, nurses, and other caregivers. Pastoral care can include responding to crises, assisting persons in the resolution of ethical questions regarding residents care, guiding residents on the stages of their final journeys, contacting pastors, priests, rabbis, or other religious representatives as requested, and providing ongoing spiritual support.

Programs and Services

• Mass: once a month on Sundays for residents and for their family members at 9:30 a.m.
• Communion Service: on other Sundays
• Masses for residents on Fridays and every other Wednesday at 9:45 a.m.
• We also say Mass on every Holy Day of Obligation and distribute Communion to resident in need of it
• We supply religious items and articles of faith to residents
• We have Ecumenical Service led by Pastors of various denominations within our local Community every Thursday at 10:00 am at our temporary Worship Space
• We have Rosary on every Tuesdays and some Sundays of the Month
• We have Mass of Anointing once a year for Residents on every World Day of the Sick
• We arrange for Religious Services/ Mass for the repose of the souls of bereaved residents/staff/ families
• We provide Spiritual support and Spiritual counseling to our Staff.
• We achieve a lot of these goals through the help of our dedicated volunteers!

Pastoral Care Team

Our Chaplain, Fr. Thomas Ebong, M.F.A; Ph.D, coordinates spiritual care for St. John Senior Services at Father Murray Nursing Center, Center Line and St. John Senior Community, Detroit. Fr. Thomas S. Ebong is an ordained priest in good standing with the Catholic Church for the past twenty-six years. He is in residence at the two clustered parishes of Our Lady of Good Counsel and St Raymond Churches on the East Side of Detroit where he also ministers. He has a wide educational background and teaching experience in all tiers of education. He is CPE trained and has many years of experience in the Chaplaincy from former Mercy Hospital on the Detroit East Side to Beaumont hospital in Troy to his almost five years of Chaplaincy with the St John Health system. He is also the chaplain at St. John Senior Community.

His leadership and team experience with the support of dedicated volunteers have really given a deep pastoral and spiritual dimension to residents, family members and staff of Father Murray Nursing Center. His very presence has brought the celebration of the sacred liturgies and the Sacraments home to our seniors, family members and staff. For Fr. Tom, service at both facilities is an enriched spiritual experience and a privilege to be of service to the people in need.

Our Chapel

Currently, we are using a makeshift worship space for our sacred liturgies on the first floor main dinning room. The setting up of a permanent Sacred Space for worship and private moments is still in the process. We already have a lot of donated items, sacred vessels, vestments, the ambo and the altar from the Archdiocese of Detroit and from parishes that have been closed down.

Requests and Referrals

Residents and families of all faiths can request a visit with a Chaplain. Any member of the health team can assist with making a referral. People call on chaplains for a number of reasons. Some of the most common reasons include:

• Overwhelming illness (change in vital signs)
• Need for anointing or administration of the Sacraments
• Fear and anxiety
• Loneliness and isolation
• Discouragement and despair
• Helplessness and hopelessness
• Loss of meaning and purpose
• Conflict with others
• Facing change and loss
• Struggling with the meaning of life
• Feeling cut off from God
• Grappling with questions about life and death
• Needing the comfort of prayer
• Decisions regarding a living will and advance directives
• Working through the loss of a loved one
• Facing ethical dilemmas