Recognising the importance of hands in the relief of pain, the prevention of disease, the comforting of the sick and as a symbol of peace and solidarity was the core focus of the annual Blessing of Hands ceremony on The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus.
Hosted by the School of Physiotherapy, the ceremony saw students’ hands blessed by Campus Chaplain, Father Subash Fernando, Fr Peter Black, and academic staff, before embarking on their first practicum for the year.
This practice embraces the past tradition where the hands of kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oils – a symbol of health and strength.
Ralph Lerch was this year’s guest speaker. Mr Lerch shared with students his experiences in the hands of clinicians on his recovery from a plane crash in Jandakot, Western Australia, in 2013. With full thickness burns to 80 per cent of his body, Mr Lerch spent the next 63 days in Royal Perth Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, fighting for his life.
“While I was in ICU, I had about 13 operations and procedures, including skin grafts, spray-on skin, a tracheotomy and I was on dialysis for kidney failure. Somehow, I managed to pull through and the physiotherapists began the rehabilitation process,” Mr Lerch said.
“It was a very slow start. Firstly, they had me just sitting up in bed before progressing to sitting in a chair and walking very slowly. While all this is going on, I’m learning to feed myself again and undertake the basic tasks, such as showering, that we take for granted each day.”
Despite the accident, Mr Lerch continues to grow in his independence. So much so, that he since regained his driver’s and pilot’s licences, and returned to part-time work.
Acting Dean of the School of Physiotherapy, Fremantle, Associate Professor Jo Connaughton, says the event is an important one on the university’s calendar for students and staff to recognise the importance of hands in health and the powerful gift of healing that is associated with touch.
“As a tradition that was first embraced by nursing students from across the globe, it is wonderful to see how this event has grown to encourage students from diverse professions and vocations where their hands are the fundamental tools to help others; treating wounds, taking the pulse, offering support, or celebrating success,” Associate Professor Connaughton said.
Commencing on the Fremantle Campus in 2002, the Blessing of Hands ceremony was established to celebrate International Nurses Day. It enabled Notre Dame’s nursing students to join others from their profession around the world to commemorate Florence Nightingale and her contribution to the nursing vocation.
This tradition has developed to be a joint ceremony for students and staff from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing & Midwifery, Health Sciences, Physiotherapy and Arts & Sciences who gather to celebrate the symbolic importance of hands in the delivery of health care to the community.