Nuns donate 'priceless' building for end-of-life care

Anend-of-life hospice in Grand Falls-Windsor is years ahead of schedule thanks to a major donation by the Presentation Sisters in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The organization has donated its 30-room building in Grand Falls-Windsor to theDr. Lionel Kelland House/Presentation Hospice.

• End-of-life hospice sought in Grand Falls-Windsor

"Really what they've done for us has been priceless," said Dr. Jeff Cole, speaking on behalf of the project. "We would never be at this stage without this gracious gift."

The hospice project started in March 2015when a group started fundraising to build a palliative care centre in town to support patients in central Newfoundland.

"It's our dream that together we will create a hospice centre that will be a place of comfort, of peace and of hope for those that will receive palliativecare within these walls," said Sharon Fagan, leader of the Sisters of Presentation of Newfoundland and Labrador, in front of a chapel full of people on hand for the donation ceremony.

"We're giving part of ourselves in this building. It's a building that carries a lot of spirit and a lot of energy for meeting the needs of other people. "

Million dollar donation

Fagan says the group has been working with the hospice steering committee for about a year to sort out the best way to move forward.

"We feel that this is part of our legacy now to be able to say that we continue to offer our services and ourselves in some way that helps to meet a need of the time," said Fagan. "We just feel this is where we're called to be part of something different now."

"To provide really an environment that provides dignity and respect for those that are dying we're just veryhappy to be able to offer this building for that purpose."

Cole said he wasn't sure what was going to happen when he got the call from the sisters asking him to tour the St. Catherine'sRenewal Centre, as it's now called.

"When we came up and saw the building and got a walk through and saw the space,we wouldn't believe the space that was available," said Cole.

At the time they had secured land through a separate donation and were fundraising to start the design and construction of a new building.

"I think we were close to the million dollar range in order to get that building open. And that's a million dollars that we can now concentrate towards opening up the building."

Cole said the donation moves the projected opening date for the hospice up by about two or three years.

Timely donation

The hospice is now moving ahead as the federal government debatesdoctor-assisted dying.

"What we're about at the hospice level is making sure that none of those decisions are ever made because people feel they're not getting great end-of-life care," said Cole.

"At this point to be able to expand the palliative care abilities of the region and make sure that we can offer the population the best possible palliative care;our hope is that no decision will be made because that's not available."

Fagan said the donation will allow the Sisters to offer their experience to families at a time when theyneed it the most.

"I think it does matter. I think that we know just from our experience in being in pastoral care that so often when people are dying that's a time whenso many people need lots of support," said Fagan. "And that's part of who we're called to be. We're called to be with the community and this is our way of being with the community in a time of need."