Chapels
There are two chapels at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. A Chapel is located on the first floor of the hospital in a corner of the Children’s Center Lobby. A Meditation Room is located off the main lobby in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building, which houses the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center as well as a medical and surgical pavilion. These Chapels are open 24/7 -- that is, every day and around the clock.
The Chapels are for people of every faith who seek spiritual shelter, or a place of prayer, meditation and reflection. We pray that all will find peace who enter.
Another Quiet Place: Story of a Statue
An imposing marble statue entitled "Christus Consolator," or "The Divine Healer," is located in the Lobby of the domed Billings Administration Building. Patients, family members, visitors and staff all find a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of the hospital in this quiet place!
The statue was a gift to the Hospital by one of its trustees, William Wallace Spence, and is a replica of a work from 1820 by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorwaldsen. The original statue stands on the high altar of the Cathedral in Copenhagen. Theobald Stein, Director of the Royal Academy of Arts in Copehagen, sculpted the Hospital's statue between 1894 and 1896, from a single block of Carrera marble.
The reason why a nonsectarian hospital, founded by a Quaker, acquired the religious symbol is open to speculation. On the day the hospital opened in 1889, however, Daniel Coit Gilman, the first Hospital and University President, publicly voiced a wish that a copy of Thorwaldsen's work be placed in the Hospital's rotunda. Seven years later his wish was fulfilled: The statue was unveiled on October 14, 1896, and has greeted visitors ever since.
Over the years, the statue has served as a focal point in various Hospital traditions and commemorative events, from farewell ceremonies for the Hopkins Hospital Units in World War II to an annual Christmas caroling service. At the base of the statue an inscription reads:
"COME unto ME
All Ye That Are Weary And Heavy Laden
And I Will Give You
REST"
For some, the statue of Christus Consolator is a sign of spiritual comfort and hope. For others, it is a symbol of compassion and caring.
For a story about those of many faiths who leave prayers in a book near the statue, please see the article by Wendy Cadge in the Religion Dispatches Newsletter.
