Sister, We're not Here for the Cancer
 

Okay, I didn't say it. But I really wanted to ...

momWolf had a doctor's appointment today. She has been going to see a hematologist because she has iron-deficiency anemia.

He has an office at a hospital down in the City, but he does one day a week at a Cancer Center that is less than five minutes from my apartment. It's also a much closer walk from the parking lot to the office. And I don't have to pay for parking. So, we go to the Cancer Center, which is also the site where momWolf gets her Iron Infusions.

We've just gotten waved into the exam room and are waiting for the doc to finish reviewing the most recent lab results, and tell us that things are better than they were, but still aren't totally up to scratch. This woman pokes her head into the exam room, and introduces herself as the Chaplain. She's wearing a massive name tag confirming her status as the Spiritual Support Professional.

She says an assortment of things that Chaplains are taught to say, encouraging words about the importance of faith in recovery and all that.

She seemed to be struggling a bit with her spiel, but forged ahead with it, and included a suggestion, after momWolf admitted to being Catholic, that registering with the Parish would be a Very Good Idea.

Had momWolf not been there, I probably would have said "Sister, we're not here for the cancer," but the Sister was so very sincere in her attempt to help, that I actually couldn't bring myself to do it.

I was also trying to keep myself from laughing.

Because in half-inch high letters on her ID was her name ... "Sister Scary."

They don't make nun-names like that no more.

I had wondered what had happened after the spice girls broke up.

smiled out loud

When my father was dying, we had a very sincere chaplain that was doing her best to "minister" to us. We smiled nervously, nodded a bit. She finally got around to asking us what sort of spiritual advisor we wanted, telling us very earnestly that they could find a representative of any religion under the sun for whatever last rites my father wanted.

I couldn't take it any more and told her "It's hard to find a priest for a family of athiests." She smiled, stammered a bit and went away.

My father (had he been able) would have slugged her rather than be subject to any mumbo-jumbo rites. That man was a strong athiest.

The old nuns when I was at school were all called by men's names. Theyounger nuns by women's names. All saints of course.

We just accepted it.
Sister Joseph with chin hair made as much sense as Sister Breda (irony not appreciated) without.

Sister Scary? That's one step away from Sinister Scary and either way she belongs in The House of 1000 Corpses!

I know a Sister Buffy, believe it or not.

I know too many priests, nuns (and the Bishop) from work.

My husband and I were almost married by Father Funk. That was before the good Father went and got all hyper-Catholic-y on us.

(We ended up with a JP -- the mayor of New Albany. Lovely woman.)

Perhaps she was new. Didn't the hospital ask about any of this beforehand? Either way she should have asked much earlier what denomination you were or whatever. Then again perhaps you could have mentioned that you were atheists much earlier and saved her the trouble of trying to "minister" you and/or your father.

Also, consideration has to be given that many atheists find religion when they come to accept the realization that their lives are at an end. She was just trying to help.

Saying you're an atheist only encourages them in my experience. They feel the need to bring you back into the fold.

So atheists are just in denial. lol

WTF? Where did I EVER say that?

Naah, she wasn't proselytizing. I don't think she had any particular axe to grind; she just didn't want to assume we were Hindu or Muslim or whatever. In fact, I appreciate that she tried to figure it out instead of just making assumptions. She probably felt bad because there was nothing she could do for us.

It was a tiny drop of humor in an otherwise catastrophic day.

Im sorry Classic. It rubs an atheist the wrong way to hear that.

uhhh, you didn't. Get with the program! :)

1) Read thread.

Accepted - I thought I wrote it very clearly to specifically NOT OFFEND.
as you were.