Prayer Rooms at the Vienna General Hospital (AKH)
Interdenominational and interreligious services offered by the AKH´s Hospital Spiritual Care
Initiators
In the early 1970s, the City of Vienna established prayer rooms for the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) in the General Hospital (AKH). The Protestant and Catholic chapel, the synagogue and the Muslim prayer room are centrally located and next to each other, as are the offices.
Religious and spiritual care and counseling is offered by the Catholic and Protestant Churches, the Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches (in particular the Coptic Church), Jewish and Islamic spiritual care, and the Buddhist Spiritual Care for the Ill and mobile hospice. Spiritual care and pastoral care are also provided by the Old Catholic Church, the free churches and Jehovah's Witnesses in Austria.
Occasion
The AKH Vienna Hospital Chaplaincy provides a platform for interreligious cooperation that benefits patients, doctors, staff and relatives. The City of Vienna conceptualized the prayer rooms as open spaces where interculturality and interreligiosity could happen.
Target Groups
All patients, their families and the hospital staff.
Objectives
The initiative´s objective is to enable lived diversity in the hospital. The prayer rooms, which are arranged next to each other, are intended to facilitate cooperation between denominations and religions. The prayer rooms are always open and accessible. The service aims at accommodating everyone´s needs. It is about each and every individual human being, regardless of religion or denomination.
Topics
The hospital´s religious and spiritual care mainly takes place in ecumenical cooperation and openness towards recognized religious communities and world views in Austria. Topics include
- Respect for the dignity of every human being
- Support in ethical decisions
- Supporting healing and well-being
- Theodicy (addressing the question of suffering)
- Exchange of religious ideas and notions
- Questions on cultural and religious backgrounds
- Mediation
- Spiritual care for the dying and grief counseling
- Assurance of God´s presence and care
Duration
The prayer rooms were handed over to the religious communities in 1991 when construction of the new AKH building was completed. Since then, the rooms have been publicly accessible. Devotions are celebrated and prayer meetings take place daily.
Activities
Interdenominational activities of the Protestant and Catholic chaplaincies take place regularly: on workdays, ecumenical midday devotions are held three times a week (Mon., Tues., Thurs.) by the Catholic chaplaincy, once a week (Wed.) by the Protestant team, and once a week (Fri.) by the Coptic Church. In addition, Buddhist mindfulness exercises take place once a month in the Protestant chapel (1st Wednesday at 7 p.m.).
The Protestant chapel is used interdenominationally and interreligiously: there is a "Place of Remembrance" for all mourners, regardless of denomination, religion or worldview, who have lost a child. In addition, the Vesakh celebration is held there to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha.
In the winter semesters, MedUni Vienna and the spiritual care teams of the Vienna General Hospital offer lectures on "Ethics in Medicine and Spiritual Care" with the aim of an interreligious, ethical reflection of various topics. The internet site https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIEm3tp0EFP220sK4wF227A/videos provides videos of the lectures of past semesters.
The “Gesprächsoase” taking place in the Protestant chapel is another service offered by the spiritual care teams of the hospital (currently: Mon, Wed, Thurs, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.). This offer to talk is interdenominational. Address and contact details are listed on the website.
Form of Organization
All prayer rooms are available as Spaces of Silence for employees of the hospital. The Protestant Chapel is used by the Protestant spiritual care team as well as by the Buddhist team. The Catholic chapel is also used by the Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
Funding
City of Vienna
Products
none
Website | Social Media | Contact
www.akh-seelsorge.at
editor: jk 2022