Fr Peter has been awarded the Vatican’s highest medal for healthcare, ‘The Good Samaritan Medal’. The medal was awarded at the end of a meeting at the Vatican’s Pontifical Health Care Workers on the Feast of the Presentation, 2 February 2011. The Good Samaritan Medal is awarded by the Vatican to those who serve the sick and suffering in an exceptional way. Previous recipients of the Good Samaritan Medal include Sir Alexander Fleming. Only four people currently working in the UK have the medal. Fr Peter said: "It has come as a welcome surprise and a great honour to be awarded the Good Samaritan Medal by the Pontifical Council for Healthcare. The Catholic Church has been pioneering in advocating the importance of healthcare chaplaincy to the NHS. I feel honoured to be part of that mission and to work with many remarkable people. Healthcare chaplains are a unique discipline within hospitals. They are on call 24/7 and serve not only patients but relatives and staff. In the midst of trauma and despair, you will find a chaplain consoling and soothing the sufferer with the words of Christ.” Besides Fr Peter's parish work in Shepperton, he is Advisor for Healthcare Chaplaincy to Archbishop Vincent Nichols, and is a member of the Catholic Church’s national healthcare advisory group and has worked on healthcare chaplaincy and healthcare for some years, including producing publications and training and leading the creation of a degree in hospital chaplaincy at St Mary's University College, Twickenham. Cres Fernandes |
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