Category Archives: Ascension

Ascension, by John Singleton Copley 1775 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Gospel of 21st May 2020 - Matthew 28:16-20

The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.'

Reflection on the Painting

American born artist John Singleton Copley spent six months in Rome, where he was inspired by the works of the great Renaissance painter Raphael (1483-1520) in order to paint his composition. He based this composition mainly on Raphael's 'Transfiguration' which is at the Vatican. He spent all six months searching for the ideal composition. I also show you a drawing which is at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, showing the artist working at his composition. As with any neo-classical painting, it has a a very distinct clarity of composition. Christ is in the top two thirds of the painting and the disciples in the lower third. Today's Gospel reading says 'When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated'. We see this depicted: the hesitation shown by the disciples to the right of the canvas where the angels have to explain what is going on; a figure kneeling, overcome by the emotion of the events; other disciples throwing their hands in the air in praise; surprise; adoration; joy it is all there in this painting.

Whilst there is so much going on in our short reading, the essence of this feast day is that Jesus is still with us because of His promise, "I am with you always; yes, to the end of time." He is with us at all times and in all places. This sentence is the core of our faith.

If I may, I will draw an analogy, which is of course is slightly flawed, but nevertheless it is an anecdote which I would like to share with you, as yesterday we discussed Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci had started working on a large painting in his studio. He worked on the picture for a while, outlining its composition, colours, detailing etc. One day, he stopped working on the painting and asked one of his students to complete the work. The anxious student protested that he was both unworthy and unable to complete the great painting which Leonardo, his master, had begun. Da Vinci summoned him and silenced him: 'Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?' Today Jesus is asking us and instructing us to help Him finish His picture and He will be with us always

LINKS

Today's story - https://christianart.today/reading.php?id=428

Christian Art Today - http://www.christian.art/

and Holy Week through 100 paintings - http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/39289

Tags: Christian Art Today, Patrick van de Vorst, John Singleton Copley

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Today's Gospel in Art - The Ascension of Our Lord | ICN - Independent Catholic News

The Lord goes up with shouts of joy!

With the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, we come to the end of Jesuss earthly life. For the Apostles, it has been a journey from suffering and death to the joy of the Resurrection. The Ascension is another huge step in experiencing the Lords presence as they continue his work.

The First Reading gives an account of the Ascension from the Acts of the Apostles. Having been instructed by Jesus for forty days, they now witness his Ascension and are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Psalm exults in praise for the Lord, who is raised on high and is acclaimed as king of all the earth.

St Paul, in the Second Reading, prays that we may fully realise our own glorious hope. God our Father, in raising Jesus high, bestows on us the hope of sharing in his glory.

The Gospel is short and to the point. The eleven receive Jesuss blessing, as they are sent out to spread his word throughout the earth. They are also given the promise that Jesus will be with them always.

Following some very hard, demanding and painful months, we too are reminded that the Lord is always with us as we are being continuously sent out in his name.

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The Ascension of the Lord, Year A, 21st May 2020 - stopthefud

Courtesy of an Ascension Press Release Ascension also follows the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions protocol for universal masking, meaning staff are asked to wear face coverings while on the clock at the hospital.

As hospitals around the country help fight COVID-19, the Ascension Mercy Campus in Oshkosh has had to adjust in order to continue to provide care for those in need.

Jennifer Derks, vice president of hospital operations at the Ascension Mercy Campus in Oshkosh, Ascension: Calumet in Chilton and Ascension: St. Elizabeth in Appleton, said they now screen staff members before they even walk through the hospitals doors.

All Ascension associates are screened for COVID-19 symptoms before they come to work, Derks said. Its something that we do diligently as a part of our jobs; its what we do to make sure that we can safely care for patients in our community.

Ascension also follows the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions protocol for universal masking, which means staff are asked to wear face coverings while on the clock at the hospital.

Derks also extends this request to incoming patients and visitors. Visiting hours are still under review, but Derks encourages family members and loved ones to schedule virtual visits with friends and family in the hospital.

Some of our sites have provided devices to help people stay connected to their family members, Derks said. Its really important during this time to stay connected, and if folks cant be on campus to be with their loved ones, then were making sure that virtually they can be with their loved ones while theyre here.

Ascension Wisconsin had moved to a temporary virtual visitation policy on March 21 for both inpatient and outpatient settings. Derks said that physical visitors are still welcome for certain patients, but there are restrictions as to how many visitors are allowed.

Women who are in labor and delivery and postpartum are allowed one visitor it must be the same visitor throughout labor and delivery and postpartum, Derks said. One legal guardian is permitted in the neonatal intensive care unit; pediatrics are allowed one visitor.

Furloughed is a word that has been on the tongue of many people recently. People in all fields are being furloughed or let go due to reasons surrounding COVID-19. Derks said that, due to the size of a group like Ascension, staff at the Mercy Campus and other Ascension facilities have not had to worry about that.

One of the benefits of being part of a larger organization such as Ascension, is at the national level, Ascension is committed to protecting the pay of associates during this time, Derks said. That includes a commitment to no lay-offs and a variety of actual paid protection programs. And they will continue to do that for as long as possible.

Having the extra staff has been a large benefit to hospitals around the state and country. Derks said she has been impressed with how many staff members are ready and willing to help wherever they are needed.

We definitely have had the ability to do that with staff [move between facilities], and weve had a lot of folks come forward to say hey, Id like to be able to help someplace else. How can I do that, and how can you help me make that happen? Derks said. And weve been able to do that from a national and state level.

Many hospitals have also witnessed shortages of Personal Protective Equipment. These shortages range from nitrile gloves and gowns to masks and other items. Derks said that this has not been a big issue at any Ascension facilities, but donations are still welcome.

Weve implemented aggressive conservation methods to ensure were prepared for an extended increase in patient volumes and continued supply chain pressure over the coming months due to COVID-19, Derks said. As we get any new products in, all of our new products are reviewed by our implementation team and infection prevention team in a collaborative effort to make sure all of our PPE products are approved before they are circulated for use.

Derks says organizations or individuals who want to make a donation should email *protected email* for more details.

She added that the Mercy Campus also offers a drive-thru COVID-19 testing station, but it is only available to those who have a doctors order stating they have symptoms that need testing.

It is not a testing center where anybody would drive through to get tested; you really need to have doctors orders to do that, Derks said. So thats why were telling folks really to make sure theyre best first connection point is reaching out to their primary care practitioner.

There is an Ascension hotline available for Wisconsinites who may have questions or are concerned that they have COVID-19 symptoms. That number is 1-833-981-0711. Frequently Asked Questions and a self-assessment tool for those with specific health concerns can also be found at healthcare.ascension.org/covid-19.

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Ascension Mercy in Oshkosh coping with COVID-19 - Advance Titan

Kim Hall said she was initially given approval for a leave of absence, but supervisor later changed mind.

BURNET COUNTY, Texas KVUE recently told you about Tricia Anderson, an Austin-area nurse, who was fired from Ascension Seton on 38th Street after she traveled to New York to care for COVID-19 patients.

When Kim Hall heard her story, she reached out to KVUE because she said that's exactly what happened to her.

Except Hall said her supervisor initially approved her leave of absence.

Hall remains in Long Island working as an emergency room nurse at the NYU Winthrop Medical Center.

That's where Deborah Priester, the 750th COVID-19 patient at that facility, was discharged.

The Brooklyn teacher was grateful.

"The staff is phenomenal. Thank you very much, staff. Thank you for being professional staff, caring and loving," Priester said.

That was in April when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Winthrop one of eight COVID-19 hot spots in the state.

It's the reason Hall, a Central Texan, is there in the first place.

"Oh my goodness, when I first got here I had 20 to 30 a night in the ER. Every single patient was a COVID patient," Hall said.

There were so many COVID positive patients that the Long Island hospital had to put up a tent in the back.

The facility only has 511 beds.

"Yeah, it was crazy," Hall said.

That's why the 750th COVID patient release was such a big deal.

"Some nights, I had patient after patient who came in respiratory distress just one after another," Hall said.

Hall said before taking the job, she got her family's support. She said her supervisor approved a leave of absence for her, working as an ER nurse at Ascension Seton Highland Lakes in Burnet.

But after about a week passed, Hall said her supervisor changed her mind before she left.

Hall got a text message, stating if she left, she would be terminated and marked as ineligible for rehire at all Ascensions.

"I was shocked and hurt ... I feel like I did the right thing but I was punished for it," Hall said.

Hall doesn't have any regrets, especially seeing how much she has helped not just the patients, but her fellow nurses.

"They were exhausted. Several of them had canceled vacation time," Hall said.

In June, Hall will return to Goldthwaite, near Lampasas, where after a two-week quarantine, she'll likely have to take another travel job to support her two boys.

She just wished her job was protected like other first responders.

KVUE reached out to Ascension Seton for a comment.

A spokeswoman sent this statement:

"We cannot provide details on employment matters related to specific individuals. However, if an associate feels called to travel during the pandemic to support the work being done in other states, Ascension has a critical staff travel program where frontline caregivers can be granted a temporary assignment to go to another Ascension ministry site that is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 patients.More than 45 Ascension Texas clinicalstaff membershave participated in the critical staffing programto provide needed support to local hospital staff,including registered nurses, patient care technicians, and respiratory therapists. Our critical staff travel program has allowed our associates to assist other Ascension ministries experiencing a surge while maintaining appropriate readiness for a potential surge here in Central Texas."

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Another Ascension Seton nurse fired for traveling to New York to care for COVID-19 patients - KVUE.com

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Nearly one dozen newborns made their way into the world at Ascension Wisconsin hospitals in Milwaukee this Mother's Day.

Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee had seven deliveries and Ascension St. Joseph had four.

Ascension shared photos of the newborns, including baby girl Adira Glee Bunker, who was due on Mother's Day. Baby Adira was born at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's weighing 7 lbs 15 oz and measuring 19.5 inches long.

"Mom and Adira are both healthy and were 'very well cared for,' Adira is the little sister to Sinora 'Cine' Bunker, and daughter of filmmakers Tate Bunker and Kara Mulrooney," Ascension said.

At Ascension St. Joseph, baby boy Sevontist wasborn weighing 7 lbs 10 oz and measuring 20 inches long, his photo below.

Baby girl, Charm, was also born at St. Joseph -- weighing5 lbs 7 oz and measuring 18 3/4 inches long.

Congratulations to all!

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Mom, I'm here! Babies born at Milwaukee Ascension hospitals on Mother's Day - WDJT

For the Hub City Times

THORP As part of its reintroduction of services, Ascension Medical Group will relocate its Clark County COVID-19 drive-through testing location from Owen to Thorp, on May 11.

As of Monday, drive-through testing will be available Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. noon, at Ascension Our Lady of Victory Thorp, 704 Clark St., Thorp.

Individuals who wish to be tested at drive-through locations must first be pre-screened by an Ascension Medical Group provider by appointment or virtually using Ascension Online Care.

Those interested in drive-through testing in Thorp can call 715-644-5530 for appointment options. Ascension Online Care is available atascension.org/OnlineCare.

At the testing site, patients will remain in their vehicle at all times.

Nasal swab samples will be collected and sent to a state-approved laboratory for analysis. Patients will be provided this information at the time of testing and instructed to return home and self-isolate for 14 days. Ascension Medical Group Wisconsin will contact patients with results and positive results will be alerted to the Wisconsin Department of Health.

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Ascension Wisconsin moves COVID-19 drive-through testing from Owen to Thorp - Hub City Times

Jon Hopkins has launched a new Meditations series and shared its first track listen to Singing Bowl (Ascension) below.

The track was created using vibrations from a 100-year-old singing bowl that Hopkins found in an antique shop in Delhi.

The first version of what became the new track was heard at a 2019 installation at the Helsinki Arts Festival. Listen to the new track below.

Talking about creativity during the coronavirus pandemic, and the process of creating the new track, Hopkins said: Like so many people I felt pretty paralysed by this situation when it first unfolded. All my plans for the year were cancelled, and everything felt so weird and dreamlike. But gradually I found I wanted to create something to find peace and perspective through making music, as I have always done.

It felt beautifully pure to just use one acoustic sound source, and no synths. It was liberating to write something without playing anything on a keyboard to avoid the familiar diatonic scale for the first time, and thus avoid any of my own conditioned playing habits.

Jon Hopkins. Credit: Getty

He added: There was a magic in setting this generative system in motion then just letting the vibrations of this bowl create their own world. I listened to harmonics layering on top of harmonics for hours and was transported.

Singing Bowl (Ascension) appears on a new meditative 24-hour playlist that Hopkins curated for Spotify, which you can listen to here.

Jon Hopkins last shared new music back in February with stripped-back, acoustic track Scene Suspended. It follows 2018 LP Singularity, which NME described as perfectly showcasing the producers painstaking hypnotic mastery.

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Hear Jon Hopkins new track Singing Bowl (Ascension), the first in a new meditative series - NME

To be a fellow worker with God is the highest aspiration of which we can conceive man capable.Florence Nightingale, founder of the modern nursing profession (1820-1910)

Florence Nightingales words echo the Mission, Vision and Values of Ascension nurses across the nation as they answer the call to serve their communities with an incredible strength of healing during these unprecedented times.

Well before this pandemic revealed itself, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) designated 2020 the Year of the Nurse. While this was done largely because 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingales birthday, I cant help but think the WHO and ANA had some level of divine foresight that nursing would further differentiate itself this yearand it certainly has. At this point in time, our often unsung caregivers are now widely recognized as healthcare heroes.

We have seen countless nurses leave their homes to bravely face the greatest global healthcare challenge of our time. We are grateful for and humbled by the unwavering dedication to patient care displayed daily by nurses nationwide as they lead with their fellow caregivers at the front line of this pandemic.

At a time when many patients are alone and isolated from their families, nurses have gone beyond clinical care with simple acts of compassion to brighten long days of solitude, and even fear. Across Ascension St Vincents hospitals, weve seen nurses sing to our patients, pray with our patients and families, play games while in isolation from the other side of a patients glass room door and enable countless virtual visits for patients and families to remain connected. I havenever been more proud to be a nurse, and I have never been more proud to serve the Ministry of Ascension St. Vincents.

We are also grateful for the communities that have stepped up to support and show appreciation to nurses. So many people, both young and old, have showered our nurses with meals, letters, encouraging chalk messages, childrens drawings, and signage around hospital entrances andwalkways for our teams to see and appreciate as they start and finish their shifts.

As it turns out, 2020 truly may be the Year of the Nurse. And as we celebrate Nurses Week, let us remain committed to fearlessly serving those in need, no matter the challenge.

To all nurses Happy Nurses Week and Thank You for making 2020 The Year of the Nurse.

Chris Moore MSN, RN, MBASystem Chief Operating Officer & Chief Nursing Officer Ascension St. Vincents

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From Ascension St. Vincent's: The Year of the Nurse - Trussvilletribune

(L-R) Amber and Wendy both following their dreams as a nurse.

(MURFREESBORO) "As early as kindergarten, I knew I wanted to be a nurse," says Wendy Underwood, an RN and team lead in the NICU at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital. Wendy played "nurse" and wrote about her pretend patients in a little notebook she treasured as a young girl. She would ultimately obtain her nursing education at Columbia State Community College in Franklin.

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During one rotation at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown (then known as Baptist hospital), Wendy was given an impromptu tour of the NICU by a more experienced nurse. "I truly wish I knew that nurse's name, but I can tell you now that she forever changed the course of my career," says Wendy. Wendy felt an immediate tug in heart towards NICU babies and wanted to serve them and their mothers however she could.

Her calling became even more personal when Wendy and her husband became parents themselves. She was still completing nursing school when her daughter Amber was born in 1996 at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, then known as MTMC. Amber was born prematurely and required extra care in the "special care area," a precursor of the NICU. Wendy says that watching the nurses care for her daughter during this stressful time was further confirmation that she was destined to work in the NICU.

Today, Amber is a healthy young adult following in her mother's footsteps by studying nursing at Columbia State. Wendy suspects that, for many nurses: "It's in our blood. I think most of us are born with it."

Further evidence that this calling is all in the family? Amber's great-grandmother on her father's side was a nurse in Rutherford County from 1962 to 1977. Her name was Letisha Breedlove Stoker and her portrait hangs on a wall at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford.

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Becoming A Mom Influenced Decision To Be A Nurse - Wgnsradio

Now more than ever, our teams across Ascension need healthcare heroes to join us.

We are united by a common goal: to provide compassionate, personalized care for all - especially those most in need. This rings especially true as we shift our focus to the ongoing health concerns with the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.

During this time, on-site hiring events and interviews will be paused so that we can focus on the health and safety of our associates, candidates, and ultimately the patients and communities we serve. We understand the value of these in-person opportunities, but will pivot to virtual connections with qualified candidates to fill these critical roles on our care teams. We have a variety of full-time, part-time, and temporary employment opportunities available nationwide.

We encourage you to join our team of healthcare heroes by applying online or texting HERO to 40458 to connect with our recruitment team. You can also stay connected with Ascension news and hiring updates via our Ascension Careers Facebook page, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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Ascension - Careers