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Home Hospitals General information Chaplaincy service

Chaplaincy service

The chaplaincy service is available to offer confidential pastoral, religious and spiritual care to all who request it.

What the service does

During times of illness and crisis, you may find your spiritual needs increase. You and your families may get strength and hope from your faith/beliefs. Sometimes you may just want someone to talk to.

Chaplains can talk about anything that is important to you and your family. They will listen without judging and can offer prayer and sacraments. They can also make contact with patients’ own faith communities/belief groups, if requested

Who the service is for

The chaplaincy service is for everyone, irrespective of faith, belief, lifestyle or cultural background.

The Chaplaincy teams on our sites comprise representatives from a range of Christian denominations.

As well as Christian chaplains, representatives from Buddhist, Hindu, Jehovah’s Witness, Jewish and Muslim traditions are available on request.

In addition to religious chaplains, Humanist and Non-religious pastoral support representatives are available on request.

Chaplains also keep an extensive list of contact details for representatives of other faith/belief groups.

How to access the service

The easiest way to contact the Chaplaincy service is to phone Switchboard and ask them to put you through to the relevant chaplain. On the acute sites, there is always a Catholic and a Protestant chaplain covering core hours or on-call outside normal hours. Switchboard have the relevant contact details.

For non-urgent calls, you can leave a voicemail – Tel: (028) 9615 0182 or email –

Alternatively, you may contact the Trust Lead Chaplain, Rev Derek Johnston – derek.johnston@belfasttrust.hscni.net  /  Tel: (028) 9615 2562.

In our acute hospitals, chaplains are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, chaplains are not present on hospital sites at all times. Staff will contact the relevant chaplain on request.

Chaplains regularly visit the wards to talk and listen to patients. They can also take referrals from other staff or from family or faith/belief representatives.

During the admissions process, you should be asked if you want a representative from the chaplaincy service to support you during your stay in hospital. Otherwise, the chaplains will not know you want their support.

On all sites, literature and holy books are available for a variety of Faiths/beliefs, along with Muslim prayer mats and Bibles in different languages. Ask a chaplain if you need something specific.

Chaplains can supply details of local churches and places of worship on request.

Some hospitals have religious services and prayer times scheduled. Some also have chapel and quiet room spaces that are available for everyone to use. See below for the details for each hospital.

  • Belfast City Hospital

    The Hospital Church is located on ‘A’ Floor and is open 24 hours a day seven days a week for private prayer and reflection.

    The Cancer Centre Quiet Room is on the 1st Floor of the Cancer Centre and includes a separate multifaith prayer space

    Sunday Mass: 8:15am & 11:15am in BCH Church on ‘A’ Floor. Holy days as announced.

    Christian Prayer times in the Cancer Centre Quiet Room, Tuesdays 12:45pm – 1:00pm.

    AND in BCH Church, A Floor, Tuesdays 1:30pm -1:45pm.

  • Royal Victoria Hospital

    Chapel on Victorian corridor & Multifaith/Belief Quiet Room at front foyer (opposite shop).

    Christian Prayer times in RVH Chapel (Victorian corridor), Mondays 9:15am – 9:30am.

    RVH Quiet Room (front foyer), Wednesdays 12:30pm – 12:45pm.

    Muslim Prayer times are displayed in noticeboard outside Quiet Room

     

  • Mater Hospital

    The Hospital Chapel is located in the Dorrian Building, through the stone doorway in the Atrium on level one. The Chapel is open during the day for private prayer and reflection.

    Mass: Christmas, Easter and November Dead with other days as announced.

    Pause for Prayer in MIH Chapel, Thursdays from 11:15am – 11:30am.

    Prayer resources are available outside of the Chapel and on request from any of the chaplains.

  • Musgrave Park Hospital

    The church is located on the corridor between Withers and Meadowlands. It is open during the day for private prayer and reflection.

    Sunday Mass 10:00am on 1st Sunday each month in MPH Church.

    Interdenominational Protestant service 10:00am on 3rd Sunday each month in MPH Church.

    Christian Prayer time every Monday 12:30pm in MPH Church.

  • Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children

    Quiet Room & Prayer Space – to be found by following the signs on the Ground Floor or bedside the Falls Road entrance on the left as you enter.

    The Quiet room is available at all times through the day.

    It has space for patients, family and staff to pray and reflect.

    There are a selection of books available during their stay from the shelves.

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