STB-81-02
"A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY"
by
Thomas R. Dougherty, PGM, New Jersey
Director of Hospital Visitation
This Short Talk Bulletin has been adapted
from a speech given on several occasions by
M W Brother Dougherty Because of its reception and relevance to the Masonic challenge of
"relieving distress," it is shared wilh us as a
meaningful explanation of the Masonic Way.
Have you ever felt lonely, sad, depressed,
all alone? Wishing that someone would stop
and say hello, smile at you, give you a pat on
the back or shake your hand and ask you if
there is anything they can do for you and mean
it sincerely? If you haven't had these feelings,
you are either extremely fortunate or you are
living in a dream world.
In everyone's lifetime, moments like that
arise. For some unfortunate people it is not
moments, it is an eternity.
There are men, women and young people
who dedicate their lives to this kind of service to
their fellowman. You and all of Masonry
benefit by the charitable acts of this comparative handful of dedicated servants of God.
The M.S.A. Hospital Volunteers represent
the Masonic Fraternity in its finest image. They
are constantly putting Masonry's best foot forward by helping the sick, the suffering, the
lonely, and the dying at Veterans Hospitals
throughout the country. They do this for anyone who needs them--not just Masons!
Our Masonic Fraternity can and should be a
beautiful plum. But if we are only interested in
ourselves, it will dry up and lose its beauty.
If we are dedicated to the service of God
through brotherly love, relief and charity, then
we will grow and prosper and be what The
Supreme Architect intended this, the greatest
Fraternal Order in the world, to be.
Last year, more than 71,000 visits were
made in hospitals, nursing homes, and conva-
valescent centers all over the United States, for
a total of over half a million hours of Masonic
charitable service by M.S.A. volunteers.
The Hospital Visitation Program is truly a
sleeping giant! One that gives citizens throughout America a favorable impression of what
Masons and Freemasonry really represent.
We are our Brother's Keeper! We can ex-
pand this Hospital Visitation Program into
something that will help our beloved Craft.
But there is a catch to it--it is going to
mean getting yourself involved. Are ye able,
asked the Master?
WHAT DOES A HOSPITAL VISITOR DO?
We've answered that question many times;
we'll probably answer it again. Many times, in
many ways.
And we're glad to do it, because we want
Brethren to know what these special Masons,
called Hospital Visitors, do for our veterans;
what they're like; how they go on foot and out
of their way to serve a fallen brother.
What does a Hospital Visitor do? First of
all, he visits. He goes to the bedsides of the hos-
pitalized veterans to bring friendly greetings,
word of encouragement, a smile, an attentive
ear, a word of sympathy, an offer to help--
whatever he realizes is the need of the moment.
It takes a big heart, an understanding mind,
an everlasting patience, and a real love of people to do that kind of visiting day after day,
week after week, in spite of tragedies, failures,
and frustrations that frequently and naturally
take place in houses of healing such as V.A.
Hospitals. Masonic Hospital Visitors are that
kind of special men. That's why they are so
greatly appreciated. That's why we're so proud
of them.
A Hospital Visitor helps the patient to establish lines of communication. He explains some
of the methods and ways of doing things in a
large hospital. He sometimes carries messages
for the bedfast serviceman to others in the hospital. It might be a soldier buddy . . . or a staff
member . . . or a Veterans Service Officer, the
Chaplain, or the physiotherapist. He helps the
patient to keep in touch with his immediate surroundings, an important link for a weak and
helpless veteran who cannot leave his bed.
When the hospitalized serviceman wants to
contact those outside who mean the most to
him, the Masonic Hospital Visitor can make a
long distance telephone call for him. Or he may
send a telegram for him about an urgent busi-
ness matter. Often he writes letters for the real-
ly sick man. On his own, he communicates with
members of the family to reassure them. For
Christmas and birthdays, he wraps packages
and mails them for the helpless patient.
When he finds a Brother Mason among his
patients, the Hospital Visitor writes to his lodge
to notify them of the Brother's hospitalization
and condition; he keeps the mystic tie as closely
knit as he can. Sometimes, he helps to restore a
suspended Brother to membership, and often
he is proud to present a 50-year pin to an elderly
patient who is far, far away from his mother
lodge.
HE HELPS THE PATIENT'S RELATIVES
A Masonic Hospital Visitor meets many of
the relatives who come to a Veterans Hospital
to visit the patients. Sometimes making arrangements for their overnight lodging is a service he
is happy to provide.
A Masonic Visitor is a mature and sympathetic person. Visitors frequently turn to him
for encouragement and help. The Masonic
Field Agent is often regarded as "a member of
the family."
GOOD SAMARITANS
A hospitalized veteran needs hands and legs
to do those things he usually does for himself
when he's up and around. Running errands, going to the store, getting the paper, are just a few
of the ways in which our Masonic Samaritans
become the hands and legs of a bedfast veteran.
The patient wants his watch, his radio, his
glasses, or his lighter repaired. The Hospital
Visitor takes it to the shop downtown for reconditioning, and fetches it back when it's
ready.
Sometimes the Masonic Representative is
entrusted with a personal shopping problem, to
select a birthday present or Valentine for a
sweetheart, a sweater for Dad, a rock record
for a kid sister, a book for Uncle Jim, or any
number of things. Our Masonic Field Agents
have been involved in such personal shopping
services for everything from engagement rings
to motor cars!
HE'S A MEMBER OF THE TEAM
The Voluntary Services in Veterans Hospitals are furnished by more than forty National
organizations whose representatives work
together to provide creature comforts and personal services which a large medical facility is
not able to supply. In every such Hospital,
these organizations are associated in a local
Veterans Administration Voluntary Service
Committee, which coordinates the voluntary
service activities and helps to establish policies
and programs. Your Masonic Hospital Visitor
is a member of that team.
He helps to arrange entertainments and
special programs for Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and other holidays. He often brings
in Masonic groups for such activities, such as
Shrine bands and clowns, or DeMolay, Rainbow, and Job's Daughters carollers. Thousands
of Masons, their ladies, and Masonic young
people have been enlisted for hospital service,
especially for chapel escort work on Sundays.
With other voluntary organizations, the
representatives are called upon to help stage an
annual Carnival on the Hospital grounds, or arrange expeditions for ambulatory patients to a
baseball game, a Shrine Circus or a football
game. For Masons in that category, a Field
Agent arranges visits to a nearby lodge, usually
taking care of the transportation himself.
Like representatives of other service groups,
the Masonic Hospital Visitor is ready to pro-
vide useful gifts for the hospitalized veteran,
items he cannot readily get for himself, such as
toothbrushes, combs, paper, pencils, or pens,
razors or razor blades; books, magazines and
stationery. At times he has even managed to
find a requested musical instrument!
A Masonic Field Agent and some of his
volunteers can frequently be found helping in
the recreational program, operating a motion
picture projector, or teaching a skill in the arts
and crafts program. Whatever the call may be,
the Masonic Hospital Visitors an.swer with a
helper if they have the skill available. That's
part of their team work.
Your Masonic Hospital Visitor also works
in harmony with the members of the Hospital
Staff. He observes the required rules and regulations. He makes the necessary reports to the
Voluntary Service Director. He attends the
monthly meetings of the local VAVS Committee. He tries to be a professional among professionals, although his work depends on a warm
personal interest in each hospitalized veteran.
For that, he is sincerely appreciated by his
co-workers, the professionals as well as the
volunteers. Masonic Hospital Visitors are distinguished by their insistence on personal contact between Freemasonry and the ex-servicemen, most of whom are not Masons and know
almost nothing about it. They make the
neglected soldier with very few friends realize
that he has not been forgotten, that somebody
cares. And for the hospitalized Brother, they
weave a strand of the mystic tie.
For this kind of service of brotherly love
and relief, the tenets of our profession have
prepared these special, dedicated Visitors. In
addition, however, they were carefully selected
and specifically trained by experienced
Brothers, who taught them to cooperate with
hospital authorities, to make the one right ap-
proach to the bedside of the individual patient,
and to do it consistently day after day.
Your M.S.A. Hospital Visitation Program
is supported entirely by voluntary contribu-
tions, large and small, from individual Masons,
Lodges and Grand Lodges and Concordant
Bodies who are interested in helping their
fellowman and have a deep concern for others.
Unfortunately, all Grand Jurisdictions do
not support this charitable program. Only 39
states take an active part in providing the
M.S.A. Hospital Voluntary Services. We hope
that the day will come when every Grand Jurisdiction can say with pride, we do our share, too.
There are 172 Veterans Hospitals across this
country. At present, we have Masonic Volunteers in 110 of them. The only reason we are not
represented in all 172 Hospitals is because of a
lack of funds.
All contributions to the M.S.A. Hospital
Visitation Program are Tax Deductable.
If you have time and want to become ivolved in a program that will give you a feeling
of self-satisfaction and pride, knowing you are
helping those who cannot help themselves,
write to us. We will make your life meaningful.
Masonic Service Association
Hospital Visitation Program
8120 Fenton Street
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
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