For almost three decades, St. Catherine Hospital has hosted the Wings of Healing program to honor and memorialize loved ones during the holiday season.
This year’s annual Angels of Hope tree-lighting celebration was Tuesday, Dec. 10, in the hospital chapel. Each angel ornament placed on the tree represents a donation made to honor someone special.
Tom Guiden, an attendee who has memorialized his mother at the ceremony for the past 14 years, looks forward to the program every year.
“This is one of the best ways to start the Christmas season,” Guiden said. “It puts you in the right mindset to go on and enjoy the season. I think the community appreciates this ceremony because there are always so many people who attend. Some of them don’t have anybody to spend the holidays with, but they can bond with others and share memories of their loved ones at this event. Reliving those memories can make you happy. Everyone here is always nice and welcoming to newcomers. I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.”
For a $15 donation, attendees received an angel to place on the hospital’s tree. The family of the memorialized individual also received a personalized commemorative card. For a gift of $35, donors also received an angel ornament of their own. Community members and hospital staff who made donations gathered in the hospital’s chapel to participate in the ceremony.
The proceeds from Wings of Healing’s Angel of Hope program help support the St. Catherine Hospital Auxiliary scholarship program, which provides funding to students pursuing a post-secondary degree in the medical field. St. Catherine Hospital employees looking to pursue further education are able to apply for this one-year scholarship as well.
Eulalia Carreon, a retired East Chicago teacher and three-time Angel of Hope ceremony attendee, especially appreciates the fact that the Wings of Healing program helps support young students.
“This event is a great way to support young people who are interested in entering the medical field,” she said. “I am all for doing everything possible to support them and their future careers, so I like that this event supports them. Of course, this ceremony is also a wonderful way to honor our loved ones who have passed. Coming to this event always feels different each year because the feelings you have for your loved ones resurface. This ceremony lets us honor them and lets us show just how important they are and always will be to us.”
The ceremony’s speakers included St. Catherine Hospital CEO Leo Correa; Kerri Clark, director of Mission and Volunteers for Powers Health; Deacon Michael Halas; and Dr. Edward Williams, St. Catherine Hospital Board President.
Judy Gresko, president of the St. Catherine Hospital Auxiliary, memorialized 17 people with angels this year. She considers the Angel of Hope event to be beneficial for several reasons.
“This event is close to my heart,” Gresko said. “I would rather commemorate people who have passed on by supporting a cause like this instead of going to the cemetery and leaving a flower. Knowing that I’m helping someone else warms my heart. Every year, I try to make sure that first responders, Whiting firefighters and police officers who have passed are recognized too, as they aren’t commemorated as much as they should be. This kind of event brings people together and is a nice way to memorialize those who have passed on. There may be tears, but that’s all right.”
This is the first year Laura Rosillo, Carreon’s sister, has participated in the Angel of Hope ceremony.
“Our grief never leaves us. We just learn to live with it,” she said. “Our loved ones are always in our hearts, but it’s nice to have a tangible symbol to remind us of them, like the angels we hung on the tree. This event gives me inner peace, and I feel closer to those who have passed on. Even in grief, you can still feel peace and love. I’m leaving the ceremony with a good feeling today.”
For more information about the Wings of Healing Angel of Hope program and services offered by Powers Health, visit PowersHealth.org.
