The St Joseph Palliative care centre, Chumukedima is hidden away for newcomers. But it is not at all difficult to find. The signboard stands by the highway, and a good landmark is North Town School, their closest neighbour. The entrance to the centre is unpaved and rough, nothing fancy about it, and the inhabitants have grown some hardy flowers along the path. As soon as one enters the building, a sense of peace descends that is almost palpable. There are even more flowers inside and the courtyard is multipurpose. In the morning hours and at set times including the evenings, mass can be heard being conducted. The voices of the sisters singing hymns in harmony or reciting prayers in unison and going through the liturgy, words and phrases that are familiar to every Christian, be it the Lord’s prayer or the 23rd psalm, all these spiritual exercises provide a sense of belonging and hope in what should be a grim and hopeless place. For the Palliative centre, as it is known for short, is a place where terminally ill patients come to spend their last days. One would think to find a solemn and depressing place. Instead, it has become a place of succor for family members caring for the sick, and a pleasant last harbor on earth for the dying. Here, the sisters and fathers are different. It is not a job for them to care for the sick. It is their life’s calling, and they attend to it very well. Each sister comes with sincere compassion to inquire and help the patient. Trainees are available to help assist the relatives with the patient from simple tasks to more complicated, such as getting a patient who has lost his mobility, into a wheelchair to be wheeled out around the courtyard.
According to the priest who is in charge of the centre, sometimes some terminally ill patients come and receive care and even recover and return home. That is the biggest testimony of the centre. Unlike government institutions, the centre’s carers are ever ready to assist. Many patients who do not have family members come here to spend the last of their days in dignity. Some of these are people from other states who have spent their whole lives working in Nagaland. The compassion of the administrative staff at the centre is akin to Mother Teresa’s vision. It brings to mind the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:36, ‘When I was sick, you took care of me.’ How much more fulfilling of the great commission than to be building churches that are bigger than the neighbour church etc.
The St Joseph Palliative care centre is a Catholic centre. It renders such great service to the community and to the sick from any denomination. The vision of the priest in charge is that other churches would establish such centers in their own areas, because the need is very great in this day and age. It is heartening that they are very aware of the strain on family members when a relative is terminally sick. All efforts equally go into making the patients’ life peaceful, and the life of the family stress free. To this end, trainee volunteers are readily available during the day hours. The centre offers food and beverages to all the inmates. All this care and love comes without a price. No payment is demanded from the families. But if they have a desire to help the efforts of the centre, it is possible to donate to the centre’s funds. This is not mandatory at all. But it is so worth donating to. It is even more worthwhile to emulate because many families are suffering fatigue caring for their sick.
I bless the St Joseph Palliative care centre with my whole heart. One morning, they started the day with the hymn, ‘It is well with my soul.’ The words of the song floated over the rooms bringing a peace hard to describe with words. I believe this is the ultimate goal of the centre. May they fully achieve it.
