Seizing the moment: a one-day seminar for the employees of Johannes hospice

The seminar marked the third event dedicated to jointly discussing and broadening our mission statement. Following the events on the guiding principles “Standing up for dignity” and “Demonstrating quality”, in June, we focused on the importance of making each moment count. I can often be quoted as saying that seizing the opportune moment is highly relevant to the work we carry out at the hospice. This idea is reflected in the title of our magazine Kairos, published four times a year, in the academy logo and, as goes without saying, in the sculpture of Kairos on the terrace of the building on Rudolfstraße.

The one-day seminar once again gave volunteers and permanent staff from various parts of the hospice the opportunity to share their thoughts on one of the key principles in our mission statement. Karin Lorenz, former voluntary employee at the Johannes hospice, and Andreas Stähli hosted the event and were responsible for making all this possible in terms of content and structuring the day.

The morning was spent exploring various notions of the moment (e.g. fleeting, powerful, surprising), taking a look at the philosophy behind dark and light kairos and addressing the questions of in which situations and how the opportune moment is experienced in hospice care. Following this, the afternoon was spent studying the here and now as a deeper moment for encounters and the accompanying experience of seeing and being seen, among other topics. The second part focused on the figure of Mary Magdalene going to the tomb (John 20, 1-18). Text interpretations within the group shed a light on moments along the journey of mourning taken by those who have lost someone.

In my opinion, this day opened up several opportunities for people to reflect on the theme of “Seizing the moment”. I am therefore all the more glad that the next event is already in the works. Next time, the focus will be on “Preserving memories”.