From Syracuse-
During Renée Tembeckjian's ordination as an Episcopal deacon, the Rev. Terry Culbertson described a September 2007 night in the University Hospital emergency room.
A woman had arrived at the Syracuse hospital dead. In the ER were nine grieving adults from what Culbertson called a dysfunctional family.
"Immediately we were thrust into a crisis," said Culbertson, director of the Syracuse hospital's Center for Spiritual Care.
"They were in great spiritual need," she said of the family. "We loved them and supported them and hugged them and accompanied them to the body to say goodbye."
Chaplains work with people in moments of great stress, raw emotions and spiritual need, she said.
Tembeckjian, who worked as a spiritual care intern at the hospital, was ordained a transitional deacon Monday in the hospital's interfaith chapel. She expects eventually to be ordained an Episcopal priest.
Culbertson said the chapel had served as the site for one other ordination, but this was a first for the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York.
About 65 people witnessed the ordination, and the service was broadcast to patient rooms via closed circuit television.
Bishop Gladstone "Skip" Adams, who ordained Tembeckjian, said the ordination site makes an important statement.
"Active and retired clergy alike are applauding the choice to move our liturgy into the world where deacons remind us to walk in love," Adams wrote last week to local Episcopal clergy.
More here-
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/new_episcopal_deacon_ordained.html
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