Our mission is to facilitate a person's ability to identify and express spiritual concerns; to maintain hope and celebrate in the midst of pain and suffering; to reflect on matters of faith, such as prayer and ritual; and to reframe the notion of healing to include the ability to find solace, comfort, connection, meaning and purpose in the face of illness and/or spiritual distress.
Our team of staff chaplains and volunteers offers compassionate care for patients, families and staff. In addition to providing for specific religious needs, we are clinically trained to offer supportive counseling and coping mechanisms to navigate the challenges one may face during times of illness and hospitalization. We serve people of all faiths.
Our services
- Daily rounding on all hospital units, as well as the Center for Cancer Care
- Collaboration with interdepartmental professionals
- Offering:
- Prayer
- Sacraments
- Sabbath ritual items
- Prayer mats
- Services:
- Roman Catholic Mass every Sunday (temporarily suspended)
- Jewish High Holy Days and Passover Seder
- Diwali service
- Ramadan hospitality
Meditation room and chapel
Our interfaith Meditation Room offers a tranquil and private area for prayer, reflection and meditation. It is always open for patients, family and staff. It is located on the fifth floor of the hospital on the I Wing (Room 529).
Prayer books, prayer rugs and bibles are available and may be used in the room. There is a prayer intention book in which one can leave prayer requests. The Meditation Room also has complimentary inspirational pamphlets and ritual items.
Pastoral care staff
Rabbi Fredda Cohen, MA, JD, BCC, is the Director of the Department of Pastoral Care and Education, having served at White Plains Hospital as staff chaplain for several years. She is certified as a board chaplain by Neshama: the Association of Jewish Chaplains. She was ordained by The Jewish Theological Seminary in 2010.
The Rev. Dr. Cyril Owambo, MA, JCD, is at the hospital on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. He is a seasoned interfaith chaplain with many years of experience, holding a doctorate in Canon Law. He was born in Mombasa, Kenya. He is currently working on his recertification as a board-certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains.
cowambo@wphospital.org
914.681.2395, option 5
Chaplain Anne Gentile is a certified chaplain with The Council of Churches of The City of New York. She works for the hospital on a per diem basis and is assigned to the hospital’s Mother Child unit. She is certified in Resolve Through Sharing and serves as a Perinatal Bereavement Counselor and leads the Perinatal Support Group, which takes place at the hospital on the last Wednesday of each month.
agentile@wphospital.org
914.681.2395, option 3
The Rev. Deacon Richard P. Limato, Ed.D, is an Episcopal Deacon assigned to St. Michael’s Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Trained in pastoral care at White Plains Hospital, he served as a volunteer chaplain for three years before joining us as a staff chaplain. He trains lay ministers in pastoral care at his parish and is an interfaith chaplain at the hospital.
rlimato@wphospital.org
914.681.2395, option 3
Father Damian Ekete, PhD, is a Roman Catholic priest serving at White Plains Hospital as a per diem priest chaplain. He has completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education and has also earned graduate degrees in pastoral care counseling and social work. He was born in Enugu, Nigeria. He was ordained for the Diocese of Enugu 25 years ago.
dekete@wphospital.org
914.681.2395, option 2
Father Augustine Dada is a Roman Catholic priest serving at White Plains Hospital as a per diem priest chaplain. He also serves as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Elmsford. He has completed one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education and he earned a Masters of Church Management in May 2020. Father Augustine was appointed a Papal Missionary of Mercy in 2016.
adada@wphospital.org
914.681.2395, option 2