The Rev. Gordon Beam has succeeded in his mission to provide a place in West Penn Hospital-Forbes Regional Campus that cares for patients' souls as their bodies heal.

Until last week, the tabernacle used by Catholic Eucharistic ministers to perform the rite of Holy Communion, has been tucked away in the chaplain's office.

Beam, who is not Catholic, saw the light a few years ago as he was performing his job as the hospital's director of pastoral care.

"I had a patient who came to me and said, 'I'm very disappointed in you, chaplain. You have Jesus in the closet.'"

That conversation motivated Beam and the Rev. David Poeckling, Catholic chaplain and pastor of St. Michael Church in Pitcairn, to take steps to give the tabernacle the place of prominence it deserved. Recent hospital renovations provided the opportunity.

Because the Monroeville hospital serves a large Catholic population, the diocese granted an exception to place the tabernacle in the newly renovated ecumenical chapel. Beam worked closely with the Rev. Edward Yuhas, diocesan director of the department for worship, to make sure the tabernacle's placement met church standards.

The Most Rev. Paul Bradley, auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, conducted the blessing of the tabernacle for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament last week at the chapel. Many of the hospital's 80 Eucharistic ministers, who come from 11 parishes in the East Suburbs, attended the ceremony.

While saying it was important to heal bodies, Bradley told those gathered that the rite of Holy Communion can "bring comfort and consolation to spirits so they can be one with Christ."

The locked, silver tabernacle is built into a corner wall with a divider to separate it from the rest of the chapel. Illuminated by a lamp that represents "eternal light," the receptacle is for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament --the bread and wine, which are the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, according to Catholic tradition.

The project contractor visited nearby North American Martyrs Church, looked at a kneeler, then made one for the tabernacle area of the chapel. The tabernacle is now more accessible to the Eucharistic ministers and enables others "to come and pray before the Most Blessed Sacrament," Yuhas says.

Beam, who retires at the end of this month, says, "it's wonderful" to leave knowing his mission has been accomplished.