On Monday, March 26, the beginning of Holy Week, a dedication was held for the newly renovated Prayer Room, located on the third floor of the Outpatient Pavilion.
A Crucifix, special ordered from Italy, now sets atop a stone modeled after the Golgotha, a site immediately outside Jerusalem’s walls where Jesus was crucified. On either side of the Crucifix are stained glass windows, which were left behind in the Phelan Mansion and kept in good condition by the nuns. The stained glass windows have been restored, mounted, and up lit.
This beautiful work was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Mark Kubala, a devoted Catholic, a long-time neurosurgeon with Golden Triangle Neurocare, a dedicated supporter of the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation, and most recently a published author (The Execution of Jesus the Christ).
Dr. Kubala made a generous donation to the Foundation to purchase the crucifix, as he wanted the Prayer Room to be more representative of a Catholic facility.
Mary Williams, granddaughter of John Henry “Harry” and Johannah Phelan, spoke of the importance of the Catholic faith to her grandparents, the emphasis placed on faith during her upbringing, and stories of her childhood.
Bishop Guillory gave the dedication and Tommy Frank, Foundation Board Chairman, gave a special reading. The event culminated with words from Dr. Kubala.
“We are so grateful that patients have a beautiful, peaceful place available to pray for loved ones undergoing treatment in the hospital,” said Foundation President Ivy Pate. “Thank you, Dr. Kubala, for your immense generosity. Your dedication to this project is awe-inspiring.”
The Prayer Room is open to people of all faiths and denominations. It is a place of peace and calm where all patients, families, and staff are welcome.
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Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who participated! With your help, we raised over $30,000 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation.
On Valentine’s Day, we had an abundance of valentines to deliver to our pediatric patients. Thanks to our community (and beyond), our youngest patients felt loved as they each received dozens of valentines and well wishes. Your special messages brought smiles to the faces of children who missed class parties and fun with friends because they were in the hospital on Valentine’s Day. Thank you for helping make miracles happen for kids in Southeast Texas!
At CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth, the Emergency Department alone sees 8,500 pediatric patients a year. Currently, the waiting room caters to adults without any toys or entertainment for children. The Emergency Department wants to better serve the pediatric population and their families by offering a form of entertainment in the waiting room that will distract, calm, and educate. Thanks to a grant from Child’s Play, the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation is now able to provide that entertainment.
Delaney Harmon and Annie Schwendiman are members of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) at Lumberton High School. As part of a school project, they chose to raise money for premature babies at their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth. Throughout December, Harmon and Schwendiman made and sold cookie and bread mixes in mason jars. Each jar included a recipe gift tag and all dry ingredients required. The jars were sold at school and various places in the community, including CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth.
After the sale ended, Harmon and Schwendiman made a trip back to St. Elizabeth Hospital to present their donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Ivy Pate, CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation President, and Melissa Conley, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Program Manager, were thrilled to accept their donation of $600! The money raised will go toward helping babies in St. Elizabeth’s NICU receive lifesaving medical care.
The CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation is excited to announce that we have provided five Panda Bed Warmers for the Center for New Life at CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth, thanks to the Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation. These Panda Bed Warmers will help fulfill the ultimate goal of equipping each of the 19 labor and delivery rooms with an infant warmer, as they are required to be in each room for delivery. Until now, the Center for New Life only had four outdated warmers.
The warmers allow for immediate care for sick newborns with integrated resuscitation available and minimal setup for high-risk deliveries. The warmers also offer easy patient monitoring with integrated, full-color displays that help track the infant’s temperature, weight, oxygen levels, and pulse rate. The compact size allows more room for the nurse, the patient, and the family to interact with the infant.
On January 4, Andrea Sterling, a member of Harvest for Lost Souls Church, brought joy to sick and injured kids in Southeast Texas by delivering over 400 plush toys for the kids at CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth Hospital. The boxes were filled with characters like Olaf from Frozen and Destiny from Finding Dory. During Hurricane Harvey, Somebody Cares America donated an abundance of resources to Harvest for Lost Souls Church, and Andrea made it her mission to make sure these resources continue to help the community. These plush animals are being given to pediatric patients at St. Elizabeth to help them cope with the stress of being in the hospital. “It makes our hearts glad to know so many children will be comforted,” said Sterling.
About a week before Christmas, Patti Bobbitt and her son, Cory, delivered over 500 TY Beanie Babies to CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth Hospital. Patti’s mother, Willie, joyfully collected Beanie Babies for several years. When Willie moved to an assisted living community, she wanted to make sure they continued to bring joy to others. The Bobbitts decided to use the Beanie Babies to help sick and injured kids in their hometown by donating them to their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. “We are overjoyed to receive this donation,” said Melissa Conley, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Program Manager. “These Beanie Babies will bring joy and a sense of comfort to every kid who gets one. I can’t thank the Bobbitts enough for thinking of their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals when making this generous donation.”
The CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Foundation is proud to announce that, after raising funds through local foundations and local individual philanthropists, we have purchased a 3D mammography system for the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Outpatient Center Mid County. Thank you to Mike Roebuck and family, the Mildred Yount Manion Charitable Foundation, the Mamie McFaddin-Ward Heritage Foundation, and each of our private donors for allowing us to bring cutting-edge technology to our Mid County – specifically Port Arthur – residents in a spa-like, outpatient setting.