Bishop’s hospital visit emphasizes need for ‘spiritual care’ of patients

Norma Gonzalez was recovering from surgery at Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina when she got an unexpected visitor, one that made her feel like her suffering was over.

She sensed it the moment Auxiliary Bishop Brian Nunes of Los Angeles walked in wearing his luminous pectoral cross and even brighter smile.

“To see the bishop and get his blessing makes me feel like I’m not alone and I’m going to be OK,” said Gonzalez through tears. “I feel overwhelmed because I know God was present.”

Bishop Nunes visited with patients and staff at the Catholic hospital on Aug. 28 as part of an event where he also toured the facility, blessed its future emergency department under construction, and celebrated Mass with Queen of the Valley chaplain Father Daniel Malaver.

While blessing the construction site, Nunes blessed the work in progress and called upon future employees to be “extensions” of God’s compassion. He went on to describe how Catholic hospitals can mend people’s souls as well as bodies.

“Hospitals are one of those special ways that we can touch people’s lives as Church,” Nunes said. “When we tend to people’s health, it is really a very powerful way of showing our care, and that comes from what we believe as disciples of Jesus.”

Nunes then spent several hours touring the various units and greeting patients, about half of whom were Catholic. Among the most eager was Daisy Del Rosario, who clutched multiple rosaries and her blanket bearing Our Lady of Guadalupe. She said the bishop’s visit was the boost she needed after suffering a stroke.

“I missed being with my family and my blood pressure was low, but the nurse told me the bishop was here,” said Del Rosario, a parishioner at St. Frances of Rome Church in Azusa. “I wanted to see him, I wanted to participate in Mass. When you have the body of Christ in you, you feel more blessed.”

In the neonatal intensive care unit, Nunes enjoyed seeing photos of patients who thrived after their hospitalizations. He thanked staff for saving the most “vulnerable and precious.”

“God, we ask that you continue to watch over [staff], guide them, guide their judgment, guide their hands, give them hearts of love as they continue to serve you and the moms and the dads and the babies,” he said.

The Catholic roots run deep at Queen of the Valley. In the late 1950s, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary saw a need for local health care. Starting with only $25 in seed money — and a lot of work and prayer — they opened a four-story hospital in 1962. An outdoor mural featuring one of the founding sisters and a doctor shaking hands epitomizes the hospital’s focus on treating both body and soul. 

Father Malaver sees that firsthand every day as the hospital’s chaplain. Whether he’s offering bedside prayers, the Eucharist, or performing the anointing of the sick, he contends the therapeutic connection between the spiritual and physical is clear.

“The [patient’s] face lights up with the Word and the Sacrament,” Malaver said. “You can really see that something happens, a person in pain becomes peaceful. … I do believe when our souls get better, our physical bodies tend to get better.”

Malaver has been a priest for more than two decades, serving in parishes until five years ago when he became chaplain. It’s a ministry he has come to “love dearly” even during times of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There’s always the fear of being infected but the mission of bringing Christ to that person is greater,” Malaver said. “And when someone’s health or spirits improve, it is confirmation of the faith.”

Of course, not every patient gets better. When someone dies, Malaver turns his focus to the devastated family left behind. After tending to their needs, he then takes care of his own, walking the hospital grounds and praying the rosary.

Taking that personal time is so important, said Ann Sanders, a registered nurse who works as the archdiocese’s Office of Life, Justice, and Peace liaison for Healthcare Ministry. Her role is to “care for the caregivers” by coordinating spiritual retreats, reading groups, and helping organize the annual White Mass for health care professionals.

“When you are doing the healing ministry, you’re giving, you’re giving, you’re giving,” Sanders said. “You need to be fed as well. You need to talk to others that are experiencing the same situation. I’m the one facilitating but they’re really ministering to each other. It’s great.”

In addition to chaplain services, Queen of the Valley also has a “Spiritual Care Team” that serves patients. The interfaith group of staff and volunteers say they’re uplifted by the daily presence of Malaver and the special visit by Nunes.

“[Malaver] has been described by all of us as a penny from heaven,” said Ana Haffner, director of spiritual care. “He’s an amazing, kind, approachable gentleman.

“And to have the bishop here too, it’s such an honor. It gives my heart warmth.”

The bishop and the chaplain capped the day by celebrating Mass in the hospital chapel. The well-attended service was open to staff, patients, and their families. All received a rosary and angel pin to mark the occasion.

Nunes delivered a final blessing.  

“With a medical emergency, it’s something we need in the moment and that’s such a parallel to how we pray, ‘God I need help,’ ” he said. “With that understanding, we’re asking for a blessing for all those who come to this place and need help now.”