WELLINGTON - In celebration of National Nurses Week May 6 to 12 employees gathered Tuesday in the lobby of the Wellington Regional Medical Center to have their hands blessed at an interfaith service in what has now become an annual tradition.

The "Blessing of the Hands" ceremony started last year at the hospital.

Dennis Marquez, owner of Pizzazz Hair Design in Wellington, was at the hospital visiting his wife and decided to attend the ceremony.

"I heard they were having the blessing of the hands and I service people every day of my life cutting people's hair, touching them," he said. "That's one of the benefits of my profession we also have the benefit of touch. I thought it was important for me to be here."

Four clergy people attended the event with each one saying a prayer. They were the Rev. Jacqueline Leveron of Good Shepard United Methodist Church, Father Donald Munro, Rabbi Bertram Kieffer of Temple Beth Zion and Madaline Lawerence, a chaplain at Unity Church of Delray Beach.
"I think that just the fact that our hospital is putting this on it's showing that we want to recognize oneness in the community and bring all of the people together," Lawerence said.

Once the prayers were read the 50 or so people in attendance had their hands blessed by the one of the clergy people.

"We have looked forward to this day. We had such success last year," said Chief Nurse Officer Carole DiFlorio. "This is for patients, family and staff. They all get comfort from this. Every hand touches a patient somehow and that's why we have to care for everyone."

This is the blessing of the hands prayer:

A Blessing of the Hands Prayer

Blessed be the works of your hands, O Holy One.

Blessed be these hands that have touched life.

Blessed be these hands that have nurtured creativity.

Blessed be these hands that have held pain.

Blessed be these hands that have embraced with passion.

Blessed be these hands that have tended gardens.

Blessed be these hands that have closed in anger.

Blessed be these hands that have planted new seeds.

Blessed be these hands that have carried out endless tasks as part of caring for our community.

Blessed be these hands that have reached out and been received.

Blessed be the hands that hold the promise of the future.

Blessed be the works of your hands, O Holy One.