Lincoln Memorial Hospital and Home Hospice remember souls passed in their care

[September 10, 2024] 

On Sunday, September 8 at 1 p.m., the Lincoln Memorial Foundation and Healing Life Society held a Service of Remembrance and Celebration of Life.

LMH CEO and President Dolan Dalpoas welcomed everyone. He said the service was for the families of patients who passed away under the care of Lincoln Memorial Hospital or Lincoln Memorial Home Hospice between July 2023 and July 2024.

At the service, Dalpoas said 61 people were being remembered.

Reverend Dr. Adam Quine greeted everyone with “may the love of God be with you all” then read the call to remembrance, which says:

“We gather together to give strength and comfort to one another in the name of the living God…who creates and brings us to life, who works to redeem us and restore us to wholeness, who fills us with the spirit of life, and who receives us into His care and keeping at the end of life. We gather here, on this day, to remember all that our loved ones have been to us and we to them…We gather here, on this day, to remind ourselves of God’s care and concern for each of us.”

After everyone sang the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness “ in unison, Reverend Quine read from Psalm 46:1-7, which says:

1 God is our refuge and strength,
An ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
And the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
And the mountains quake with their surging.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
The God of Jacob is our fortress.

VIDEO: Reverend Dr. Adam Quine reads Revelation 21:1-7

The next scripture reference was from Revelation 21:1-7, in which the writer sees “a new heaven and a new earth, [a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” He also “saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband… [and] heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God’.”

Revelation 21:4 provides comfort with the words, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

In Revelation 21:5-7, the one seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!...Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [and]“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

The Litany remembrance was a responsive reading as a remembrance of those who had passed on.

Included in the remembrance was the leader reading “almighty God, who has created life with a beginning and an end, we pause to remember family and friends who have gone before us and a receiving your merciful embrace.” [with the people responding with] “We turn our thoughts to them and to you, O Lord.”

In the next section, the leader said, “For parents who gave us birth, and nurtured us in early life,” and the response “we praise you, O Lord.”

The other sections were remembrances “for elders who taught us much, who blazed trails and showed us the way, [and] for children who in their innocence and beauty gave example to our spirits” with responses of “ we bless you, O Lord and we thank you, O Lord.”

The next sections magnified the Lord’s name “For hands that held ours through sickness, and arms which offered comfort throughout the dark night; for hearts that loved us, sacrificed for us and gave us much cause to love in return.” These sections also expressed gratefulness to the Lord “for lives that touched ours, enriching, changing, improving and forever influencing the story of our life.”

In the final sections, the leader said, “for the high privilege of knowing others, if only for a season, of walking part of our journey with these our family and friends, for the joy of human companionship and the miracle of love” and everyone else responded with “make us worthy, Lord God; create in us hearts filled with a new dedication to build a world where love abounds, friendship flourishes and peace reigns among all your children forever, Amen.”

Next, the Hymn "On Eagle's Wings" was sung by vocalist Linda McCuan.

To honor the memory of those who have died in the past year, Judy Smith, Charlotte Bennett and Janet Rivero read their names.

Partway through and at the end of the reading of the list of all 61 names, Margie Sheley rang the memory bell followed by everyone singing the chorus of “On Eagle’s Wings.” The words to the song’s chorus are “[a]nd He will raise you up on eagle’s wing, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand.”

Everyone then sang the hymn “Amazing Grace.”

Next, Dalpoas asked everyone in attendance to fill out prayer cards. These prayer cards were then placed in the planter under a memorial rose bush.

As Dalpoas placed the rose bush in the planter, Reverend Quine said, “today we plant a bush, new life in this corner of our world. We will nourish it with sun and water, and with all our memories and our hopes, our love given and received from those we honor and remember.”

Reverend Quine next said, “may the seasons of our lives and the seasons of our griefs be embraced by the God of all seasons and of all creation. May this place always be a place of shelter and renewal for our souls. May the spirit of our life dwell within us and around us now and forever more.”

As the service drew to a conclusion, Reverend Quine offered a final blessing. In this blessing, he said, “may the Holy One who heals all our iniquities bless and keep all of us. May the face of the beloved one who heals all our afflictions shine upon us and be gracious to us.” Quine asked that the confidence of God’s spirit, our companion, redeem our life and be lifted upon us and give us peace today and every day.

Reverend Quine finished by saying, “may the memories of our loved ones forever be a blessing.”

Dalpoas thanked Quine and the LMH Auxiliary for their roles in the services and invited everyone to stay for refreshments.

[Angela Reiners]