NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

IS it a chapel or is it a multi-faith quiet room? Ralph Meyer, the project manager of the expansion of LGH in
the 1970s, and Keith Harniin, the North Shore Health Region's direcior of spiritual care, discuss its future use.

Christian dect

From page %

The roon: features a large
wooden cross on one wall and
a portrait of Jesus on another.
An altar is covered by a white
cloth embroidered with cross-
es, An organ sits at the back of
the room. Banners depicting
doves adorn one wall. All were
donated over the years.

In November the advisory
group suggested that curtains
could be drawn over the cross
whenever non-Christians
wanted to use the room.

Said Hamlin, “There’s
nothing insulting or hurtful
about putting a curtan in
front of a cross, but some peo-
ple can misinterpret that.”

Each day Hamlin closed
the curtains. The next day he
would come in and find them
open again. He gave up after a
week or two. The portrait of
Jesus is also being removed by
some and replaced by others.

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Things came to a head,
Hamlin said, when 25-year
LGH employee Michael
Edwards complained to him
in December. Edwards has
since sarted a petition oppos-
ing changes to the room.

West Vancouver resident
Ralph Meyer was the architect
in charge of the northern
expansion of the hospital in
the 1970s. The room was part
of that project.

Sayi

Said Meyer, “Originally it
was conceived as 2 quiet
room. The government of the
day would not fund a specific
religious facility. The word
chapel came into it only later.
The general concept was that
it would be a room for any-
body’s use — whether veu be
atheist, Muslim or whatever.”

The room is open 24 hours
and is well used by Evergreen
House residents, hospital staff

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and families of patients.

“A lot of psychiatric
patients come over here and 1
find them playing with and
rearranging the flowers,”
Hamnlin said.

But said Meyer, “I don’t
feel you should get rid of the
Christian symbols because
somebody else might be
offended. Don’t insist on
change for the sake of
change.”

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Sunday, January 30, 2000 - North Shore News - 13

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