Friday's celebration began with a thanksgiving Mass in the chapel of St. Joseph's Center at 10 a.m. The ceremony was conducted by pastor Sándor Varga, parish priest of Episcopia Bihor, pointing out in his sermon that at the heart of the nursing profession is the well-known concept of compassion from the Bible – compassio in Latin, which literally translates as suffering together – that is, to bear each other's burdens.
After the mass, the staff of Caritas nursing homes and homecare services had the opportunity to participate in an interactive workshop led by Dr. Gabriella Kiss, mental health specialist, and Erzsébet Márton, social worker , who arrived as invited guests from Caritas Alba Iulia.
Before the start of the presentation, József Dunai, managing director of Caritas Catolica Oradea, greeted the participants, thanking the nurses for their work, both on behalf of the management of the organization and on behalf of patients who cannot express their gratitude due to their health condition. After that, the invited speakers and participating colleagues were greeted by Andrea Dombi, the main organizer and employee of St. Martin's Nursing Home in Oradea, pointing out how important it is for caregivers to recharge not only physically, but also spiritually, as their work is demanding in both aspects.
"We give, we provide, we serve, we listen, we solve, we bandage, we nurse, we exercise, we mobilize, we comfort, we soothe, we practice the virtue of patience. These are all required from us in our work even in times when our tank of love might be empty or our fitness may be running low. Therefore, I feel it is very important to seize opportunities to recharge, learn and develop" – she said.
In the framework of the professional workshop, Dr. Gabriella Kiss, mental health specialist, gave a presentation entitled The nurse's lantern, focusing her message on person-centered care and the nurses' own spiritual recharge. "We need to be able to keep our inner flame, which will be reflected in the eyes of the elderly and the sick," she stressed, adding that – “it is important whether we can be happy in our work, because this field of work is not about getting a good salary, but about love, as it is the only thing that allows us to nurture as we would like to be nurtured”.
The Nurses' Day celebration ended with a shared meal.
