Blessing of the hands ceremonies provided during Nurses Week events
Rooted in the 19th century legacy of Florence Nightingale, chaplains pray over the hands of nurses to recognize hands as sacred instruments of healing, kindness, and grace.
By Michelle Ryan-Day
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Chaplains Kim Crawford Meeks, Brady Powers and Henry Thomas provided a blessing of the hands during National Nurses Week events at University Hospital, Children’s & Women’s Hospital, Providence Hospital, and the Strada Patient Care Center.
The blessing of the hands is a symbolic ritual led by hospital chaplains to honor the compassionate care that nurses provide. Rooted in the 19th century legacy of Florence Nightingale, a foundational figure of modern nursing, chaplains pray over the hands of nurses to recognize hands as sacred instruments of healing, kindness, and grace.
The modern, structured ceremony for nurses was introduced in 1999 by Rev. Raye Nell Dyer, the lead chaplain at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The tradition expanded rapidly across the globe and is now an interfaith practice offered to all frontline healthcare workers.
Each year since the Spiritual Health and Counseling Department was established in January 2022, Crawford Meeks has written a new blessing. This year’s blessing was centered around the department theme: “Bee Kind – Kindness is the spark that ignites joy, hope, and peace.”
After each blessing last week, employees were invited to choose their favorite "Bee Kind" bracelet, which serves as a reminder that kindness is always the right thing to do, Crawford Meeks said.
Blessing cards from previous years were also available at this year’s events. Many employees have said they enjoy collecting blessing cards and receive encouragement by reading them.
