Nice story that reminds us about Blessed items

Statues retired fittingly

When officials with St. Francis Medical Center decided to respectfully dispose of worn religious objects, they chose the site of the new Kitty DeGree Emergency Center as the final resting place.
Blessed religious items belonging to the downtown hospital were buried in concrete on Wednesday. Items included cracked or damaged statues of Jesus, St. Joseph, St. Anthony carrying baby Jesus, St. Patrick, a crucifix and pieces from the hospital's manger scene.
These blessed religious items were in use at various places throughout the hospital. After years of use, the items had wear and tear so officials said they wanted to dispose of the blessed items respectfully.
"These statues are holy objects, and we refrain from throwing them away in the trash," said Yvonne Boudreau, vice president of mission integration at St. Francis. "For Catholics, it is a sign of respect to dispose of damaged statues in a way that honors these holy objects. We do this by burying them into the foundation of a new building."
According to catholiceducation.org, blessed objects break and can wear from use. The basic rules for the disposition of these items are to bury or burn them. The Canon Law of the Catholic Church states that once a religious object is blessed and dedicated for divine worship or veneration, it must be treated with reverence and not be used in an improper or profane way.
St. Francis Medical Center held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction site in October. It was at the ceremony that hospital officials unveiled plans for the $5.9 million project and announced that local philanthropist Kitty DeGree donated $1 million to the project and that the new facility would be named in her honor.
The new emergency center will expand the current emergency services area and more than double the size of the emergency center to nearly 30,000 square feet. The center will have 38 beds, an expanded fast track capability, in-house CT scanner and the latest in digital radiology technology. It will have two entrances, one for the public and one for ambulances.
While construction costs are estimated at a little less than $6 million, the hospital plans to invest another $3 million in technology, equipment and furnishings.
Since construction began, the downtown ER will remain open throughout the project. St. Francis North's ER remains open and hospital officials encourage patients with minor illnesses to use that facility.
The construction is expected to be completed in July 2012.