Chapel at Mass. General celebrates 75 years of guidance and solitude
With a palpable sense of appreciation of the human condition in its variable forms, Reverend John W. Polk reflected on May 25th's joyful celebration of the chapel at Massachusetts General Hospital. In its 75th year of service, Rev. Polk — the Director of the Chaplaincy Department — said he stood with members of the Chaplaincy department within the hospital's stained glass cloister to officiate a ceremony that included music, personal reflections, and blessings of varying religions and languages. His welcoming remarks to invited guests spoke of the chapel's history and its purpose in the lives of those it serves daily. He referred to the chapel as "MGH's common room, our gathering room where all people are as they are intended to be — equal. Equal in sharing a common humanity. Here in this common room there are no classes, no divisions, no separation. Here in this space we are one."
The chapel has changed location within the hospital since it opened its sanctuarial space in 1941; however the intention for a dedicated place of meditation where all would be welcome remains unmoved. Conceived by the Right Reverend William Lawrence in the late 1930s as a "bit of pioneering hospital work," the Reverend hand wrote more than 1,500 requests to MGH supporters with the intention of funding a place to be set aside from the busy hospital for spiritual healing and reflection. The retired Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts received donations from more than 800 people of all faiths interested in supporting a place of respite within the hospital. Six months before his passing, Reverend Lawrence had lived to see the chapel become a vital part of MGH. First installed in the Baker building, the chapel is open all day, everyday on the first floor of the Ellison building to anyone seeking care of their spirit, soul or heart. A sign outside the chapel vestibule reads, "Whoever will, may enter here."
