Staff of the chaplaincy

• Rev Dozie Moneme, Lead Chaplain
• Fr Nishan Mohanraj (RC)
• Rev Ivan Page (Free Church)
• Rev Neil Aplin (Free Church
• Rev Stuart Holt (Church of England)

Volunteers too

Successful operation of the Chaplaincy is heavily reliant upon and grateful for the services of a team of volunteers. They operate in six main roles; hospital ward visiting, hospice day unit and ward visiting, Roman Catholic Eucharistic Ministry, A&E Chaplaincy listening, chapel service welcoming and bringing patients to and from the chapel service.

Chaplaincy’s place in the Trust

The Chaplaincy Service is an integral part of the Isle of Wight NHS Primary Care Trust. Although it has a presence across the Trust – in the Community, Mental Health, Learning Disability and the Ambulance Service – much of its work happens on the St Mary’s Hospital site. This is where the chaplaincy office is situated, and this is also where the chapel is located, on level A in the main building, adjacent to the lifts.

Chaplaincy’s duty

Despite the fact that chaplaincy is rooted in the Christian faith, it has a duty to respond to the religious and spiritual needs of those who follow other faiths and those who follow none. It has contact with other faith leaders on the Island and can provide information on how to get in touch with them if required.

Chaplaincy’s role

Chaplaincy seeks to serve and support patients, relatives, volunteers and members of staff. It starts from the basic assumption that by virtue of our common humanity, all of us have a spiritual side that needs to be recognised and attended to, especially when we are feeling vulnerable or under any kind of pressure. Chaplains and Chaplaincy Volunteers seek to offer friendship, a listening ear, and opportunities for prayer and spiritual guidance, as and when required. Chaplains can also be used as an ethical resource particularly concerning beginning and end of life issues. There is always a chaplain on call.

Chaplaincy as a focus of stillness

The focal point of all that we do is to be found in the hospital chapel. A service is held at 10:30am every Sunday morning (also other special days such as Christmas Day and Good Friday) to which everybody is welcome. As well as being the place where worship is offered week by week, the chapel is a place of stillness, a place where the sense of the divine can be rediscovered, a place where people may find reconciliation with God and with one another. Chaplaincy staff seek to be a source of stillness as they travel around the hospital and beyond, being far more interested in who a person is (and whether or not they are hurting) than in what they do.

How to contact the St Mary’s Chaplaincy

T: 01983 534639