The Mystery of My Soul
One Oblate Novice's Story

Sydney visits with a patient at Alton Memorial Hospital. His fun and friendly attitude can usually coax a smile from the patients.

“There’s a lot of wisdom in Sydney,” said Chaplain Jo Greenwood as she watched him pray with a patient at Alton Memorial Hospital. “And a lot of compassion.”

Five days a week, Bro. Sydney Musonda and two other Oblate novices volunteer their time at the hospital. Throughout the day, they provide companionship, prayer, and love for the patients of the hospital and the nursing home.

“I start the day in the ER,” said Syndey. “Many people come to the emergency room just from stress. I pray with them. It’s important to let them know that I am thinking about them and praying for them.”

One interesting aspect of the ER is the grief room. For the family and friends of someone who has passed in the ER, the grief room is a calm and quiet place where they can express their pain and gather their thoughts. Inspirational pamphlets and toys for young ones are also in the grief room.

“Thankfully, I have never had to bring anyone to the grief room, but I am glad that it is here.”

After the hectic two hours in the emergency room, Sydney visits the occupants of the nearby nursing home. Although some of the inhabitants don’t remember him from one day to the next, Sydney still sees the value in talking with them, listening to them, and providing companionship. He provides a similar service for patients at the hospital, visiting them in their rooms.

“Some people don’t have family or people to visit them,” he said. “But we can be together as human beings and I can let them know I am praying for them.”
Sydney feels comfortable walking the halls of the hospital. He enters patients’ rooms with a broad smile and a comforting voice, always ready to listen, to hold their hands, and to share his compassion.

Volunteering at the hospital has been a welcome change of pace for Sydney. While a pre-novice in Zambia, Sydney provided a similar ministry with the sick at a hospice. However, as he was sent to the novitiate in Godfrey, Illinois, many things changed.

“At pre-novitiate, it was social. We were always working with others, and we had retreats once or twice a month. Now, we spend more time in prayer and reflection. I feel myself being drawn into the mystery of my soul and what God wants from me. I feel like I am really becoming an Oblate.”

“I do miss ministering, but life is all about adjusting.”

Fortunately, after six months at the novitiate, Sydney found himself once again among the sick and infirmed who could use a helping hand.

“It’s easy to think that we are helping them,” he said. “But really they are helping us when we visit them.

“One experience links to another, and then that experience links to something else. You get wisdom from them.”

This wisdom has served Sydney in both his education and his service.

“When you work at a hospital,” said Chaplain Jo, “you never know what you’re going to find on the other side of the door. But Sydney and the other novices have been great. The staff has even commented on how impressed they are that the novices can transcend their spirituality and show their compassion to a diverse mix of people from all faiths.”

This compassion punctuates each visit Sydney makes at the hospital. He closes each meeting with a smile, a strong hand, and the words: “Thank you. Just know that I am praying for you and I hope you will pray for me, too.”