Sister Perpetua Sevillano enjoys connecting with people in creative ways while serving as a Mission Formation Program Coordinator and a “sister presence” at St. Jude Medical Center. Her efforts let caregivers (employees) know how loved and valued they are.
A significant part of Sister Perpetua’s role is helping coordinate a mission formation program called “Living the Legacy.” It is a formation program developed for caregivers under the managerial level at four local healthcare ministries: Mission Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital, St. Jude Medical Center, and the Providence Medical Foundation (Heritage) which includes eight medical groups in California.
While at St. Jude, Sister Perpetua visits different areas of the hospital to offer encouragement in various units. Known as rounding, the visits can often offer a sense of peace to those with whom she interacts. Rounding took on a deeper significance in the early stages of COVID.
“One time I was rounding and one of the nurses told me, ‘Sister, thank you so much for blessing us going home, it was so hard during this time. I was crying going home because I saw you,’” shares Sister Perpetua.
The heartfelt moment was a result of just one of the creative actions that Sister Perpetua initiated. She calls it the Blessing at the Parking Lot. In the early days of the pandemic when healthcare work was especially challenging and connections were difficult to make, Sister Perpetua would go to St. Jude’s employee parking to wave to and bless those that were arriving or leaving during shift changes. Unable to offer an encouraging hug, she would show people a sign she made: “Sending you blessings and socially-distanced hugs!”
Sister Perpetua found other ways to show comfort to those that were in the hospital during the pandemic, like “Chocolate for the Soul.” Dressed in the proper medical attire to be compliant to the environment around patients, she did rounds with a cart full of chocolate and other sweets.
Additional creative activities such as “Tending the Self” come from her heart. Tending the Self was created to offer prayer time and additional reflection practices for oncology caregivers that sometimes face the loss of patients. Tending the Self expanded to the Orthopedic unit too.
Sister Perpetua strives to be inclusive of other faiths and traditions during holidays and celebrations. On holidays such as the Lunar New Year, Hannukah, Christmas, Mardi Gras, Easter, and many others, she decorates her cart to show that she cares for all who celebrate days that hold special meaning to individual caregivers.
“God is honing my skills,” reflects Sister Perpetua about her ministry at St. Jude.
In addition to her time at St. Jude, she also works with children in neonatal care at CHOC Hospital.
Before entering the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange in 2001, Sister Perpetua grew up in the Philippines. She worked as a general nurse there prior to moving to the U.S. and has continued to serve in healthcare ministry, having a positive impact on many lives.
Sister Perpetua enjoys helping others through her hobbies too. She enjoys needle and thread work, cross-stitching, and sewing clothes for fundraisers. And she is known to solve a Sudoku puzzle from time to time.
Sister Perpetua finds peace in her calling, and she is happy to serve in the healthcare ministry. “What has called me, and what the world needs, have matched.”
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