Post by Fr. Barry Stephenson on Oct 4, 2021 0:07:56 GMT -5
Mt. Angel Abbey Hospital - Mt. Angel Abbey, Oregon
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. - James 5:14-16, KJV
As was his normal routine since he and the other Scouts had arrived at Mt. Angel Abbey, Father Stephenson would walk the halls of the Mt. Angel Abbey Hospital - technically, a "field hospital" but as close to a hospital in these times - comforting the sick and injured, giving advice or wisdom to others, praying with those who sought spiritual assistance, and any other duties as needed. Although he wasn't of the Catholic Church - Stephenson was still a member in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was amazed at how the Mormons in Utah had managed to keep some semblance of civilization in the middle of a salt desert - Mt. Angel was a part of the Benedictine branch of the Catholic Church and so he had no problem substituting "Father" for "Elder".
With his ever-present notepad in hand, he was the Scouts' spiritual advisor but more than that he was the counter-balance to Tegan, one of several who'd helped her out of her dark depression following the IED strike earlier in the year, keeping her from going off the deep end a few times but also providing one of what seemed like many shoulders to lean on. It had saved not just her life but in his opinion, the Scouts as a whole.
"Father Stephenson," someone called out to him. Turning, he saw it was one of the Benedictine oblates, members of the Abbey who weren't full priests but who lived, worked and helped defend the Abbey and surrounding area. "Yes?" he asked.
"There's a group of people that just arrived who need to go through Medical screening and we need someone to--" the oblate started to ask.
"No problem, let's go see them and get them started through Medical," Fr. Stephenson replied, pointing towards the exit.