{"id":16475,"date":"2012-09-02T06:05:04","date_gmt":"2012-09-02T12:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/?p=16475"},"modified":"2016-09-30T17:05:10","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:05:10","slug":"one-deacons-story-really-what-i-do-is-listen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2012\/09\/one-deacons-story-really-what-i-do-is-listen\/","title":{"rendered":"One deacon’s story: “Really, what I do is listen…”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Writer Tom Loewy from the Galesburg Register-Mail in Illinois spent some time recently chatting with a deacon, and shared part of the conversation: <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you can take the time to listen, you learn something knew every day. And you are fortunate to be given the opportunity to hear.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>That fact was hammered home as I listened to Jim Haneghan while sitting inside Spudos just before Thursday\u2019s lunch rush.<\/p>\n

Haneghan is 67 years old and has been an ordained deacon in the Catholic church for 15 years. For more than eight years, he\u2019s worked as a chaplin for OSF Homecare\u2019s hospice program.<\/p>\n

Haneghan was born in Galesburg, baptized at St. Patrick\u2019s Church and has lived his entire life in his hometown\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026\u201cI was self-employed for years,\u201d Haneghan explained. \u201cAnd then one day Donna Medina from over at OSF called me and asked if I would be interested in becoming the chaplin for the hospice program. Nursing the sick had been part of what I was doing for years, so it seemed like a good fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haneghan said his role as chaplin for the dying has been \u201ca blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to talk with people in their last days, weeks and months of their lives has been a tremendous experience,\u201d he said. \u201cReally what I do is listen.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople tell me about their lives. I listen to all kinds of people \u2014 from very devout Christians to people who don\u2019t believe in anything. But I find that most often, no matter if the person has faith or not, they want to reflect back on their lives. It\u2019s an unbelievable experience \u2014 something of an honor, I think \u2014 to be the one listening to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haneghan reflected on how his role as a hospice chaplain impacted his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing that has been reaffirmed for me is how precious life is. This life doesn\u2019t go on forever. Working in hospice has helped me grow in my faith and I truly try to live every day as if it\u2019s my last.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a hospice chaplin trying to convert anyone. I\u2019ve heard it said that all the good people aren\u2019t in church on Sunday morning. And that\u2019s true. I\u2019m there to give people a chance to talk about there lives.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read more.\u00a0 <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Writer Tom Loewy from the Galesburg Register-Mail in Illinois spent some time recently chatting with a deacon, and shared part of the conversation: If you can take the time to listen, you learn something knew every day. And you are fortunate to be given the opportunity to hear. 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