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Br. Innocent Smith, O.P.
Br. Innocent Smith, O.P., is a student brother in formation for the priesthood. He is assigned to the Priory of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.
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Come and Shepherd My People
Priestly Ministry of Healing and Hope at the End of Life: An Address by Br. Ignatius Perkins, O.P.
Posted by Br. Innocent Smith, O.P. on June 01, 2011
Br. Ignatius Perkins, O.P.
On May 17, 2011, Br. Ignatius Perkins, O.P., PhD, RN, FAAN, gave an address to the Presbyteral Assembly for the Diocese of Nashville titled "'Come and Shepherd my People': Priestly Ministry of Healing and Hope at the End of Life". In this talk, Br. Perkins considers the growing concerns of ethical issues at the end-of-life that must be dealt with by priests who ministers to the dying, and exhorts pastors that "Your mission as shepherds of hope and healing is clear: caring and nurturing others is a privilege to be embraced, never a problem to be endured. Through your caring with compassion in the context of the Christian community you bring the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to one another. The ministry of healing is a prophetic witness and an authenticating sign of what we preach by word of mouth."
Br. Perkins is Professor and Dean of the Department of Nursing at Aquinas College in Nashville, TN, an apostolate of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. He was recently admitted to Fellowship in the Royal Society of Medicine as an acknowledgment of his contributions to the medical profession.