Hospital memorial chapel dedicated.New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Westchester Division today dedicated the new Stubenbord Memorial Chapel--almost 100 years after the original plans were drawn. The new interfaith in·ter·faith adj. Of, relating to, or involving persons of different religious faiths: an interfaith marriage; an interfaith forum. chapel, which will serve as a quiet and spiritual place for patients, family members and staff, is made possible by the generosity of Dr. William Stubenbord and the Mary T. Greenwood Fund, which was founded by Dr. Stubenbord's late father, Dr. William Stubenbord. The Stubenbord Chapel, which mirrors the architecture of the existing Hospital buildings, was designed by Gerald Allen of New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . Built to accommodate 28 people, the chapel's unique features include gold stars and a moon on the dome, which were hand-made in England. Each of the 82 stars may be sponsored by donors and named in memory or in honor of a loved one. A wooden hand-carved "tree of life" also graces the inside of the chapel. The pale green walls, white woodwork woodwork: see carpentry; furniture; intarsia; marquetry; veneer; wood carving. and large windows add to its soothing sooth·ing adj. Tending to soothe. sooth  ing·ly adv.sooth effects. "The concept for the chapel was to bring the beauty of nature inside," said Rev. Amy Manierre, Coordinator of Pastoral Care. "We also chose to use regular glass windows rather than stained glass stained glass, in general, windows made of colored glass. To a large extent, the name is a misnomer, for staining is only one of the methods of coloring employed, and the best medieval glass made little use of it. , to be respectful re·spect·ful adj. Showing or marked by proper respect. re·spect ful·ly adv. of people of all beliefs." In
addition, the chapel features three storage areas for items used in
Christian, Jewish, and Islamic ceremonies.
Beginning with the "Moral Treatment" era in the late 19th Century, religious services were viewed as an important part of treatment for those suffering from mental illnesses. In tact, it's believed that the first attempt at introducing religious services in any institution took place at the former "Bloomingdale Asylum" in 1819, when the Reverend John Stanford preached a sermon at the institution. The 1842 and 1843 annual reports discussed chapel services, which apparently drew a large attendance. While religious services were typically held in the auditoriums, the 1904 plans for a chapel clearly indicate the need for an "assembly room for formal gatherings for worship" in the center section of the building. New York-Presbyterian Hospital was formed in 1997 through the merger of two nationally recognized Hospitals--New York Hospital and Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. The Hospital's Westchester Division opened in 1894 as one of the world's most advanced centers for psychiatric psy·chi·at·ric adj. Of or relating to psychiatry. psychiatric adjective Pertaining to psychiatry, mental disorders care. |
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