FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, September 15, 2008
CONTACT:
Cindy Hickey,
330-489-1212
cindy.hickey@cantonmercy.org
Interfaith Prayer Service Will Mark Mercy's Centennial
September 24 Event Will Include Several Area Faith Traditions, Reflecting Hospital's Mission to Care for All
Canton, Ohio: Mercy Medical Center invites the community to celebrate the hospital's 100th anniversary during an interfaith prayer service on Wed., Sept. 24, at 5:30 p.m. in McKinley High School's Umstattd Hall in Canton. The service will be followed by a reception for the whole family in the school's cafeteria.
Participants will join in prayer to honor God the Creator, give thanks for the wonders of creation and the peoples of the world, commemorate Mercy's centennial, and bless all the communities where the hospital has a presence.
Sister Carolyn Capuano, H.M., vice president of mission and ministry services at Mercy, notes that the service, offered in the Judeo-Christian tradition, will honor and unite all in prayer, praise, gratitude and petition.
She said, "We began our centennial year of celebration with a Mass of thanksgiving. We decided to conclude the year and mark our 100th birthday with an interfaith service because we want to be mindful that Mercy welcomes all people, regardless of faith, ethnicity, race, economic status, gender or age. All people are children of God."
Worship leaders will include Rev. Abraham Allende, Iglesia Luterana de Trinidad; Rev. Dwayne Brown, Jerusalem Baptist Church; Rev. Bradford Helman, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish; Rabbi Leah Herz, Temple Israel; and Sister Judith Ann Karam, C.S.A., president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System.
The Jerusalem Baptist Gospel Choir and St. Michael's contemporary ensemble will lead the music, and the Blessed Ones Praise Dance Ministry will perform.
"We are blessed to have representatives from several area faith communities with us and are grateful for their ministry in word and music," Capuano added.
The reception is free but reservations are required. To reserve your seat, call the Mercy Healthcare Connection at (330) 489-1333 or (800) 223-8662.
Mercy Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation of The Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville, North Canton and Plain Township. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, see www.cantonmercy.com.
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