Sacred Spaces

The Sanctuaries

University Hospital and Victoria Hospital each offer a secluded and peaceful wheelchair-accessible Sanctuary area. This "Sacred Space" is available anytime for prayer, meditation and quiet reflection.

As per the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, both Sanctuaries are smoke-free spaces, except as under the Exemption for Traditional Use of Tobacco by Aboriginal Persons. This exemption states, “Despite the prohibition from smoking in an enclosed workplace or enclosed public place, an Aboriginal person has the right to use tobacco for traditional Aboriginal cultural or spiritual purposes. Aboriginal residents of hospitals (public and private)… have a right to be provided with an indoor area to use tobacco for traditional cultural or spiritual purposes." After 4 p.m. on weekdays and weekends, if the Indigenous Healing Space and Advisors are unavailable at ext. 77544, please have your medical team or Switchboard page Spiritual Care to use one of the Sanctuaries.

Each Sanctuary is also available for both unplanned and scheduled group usage. Please note that Sanctuary space is not suitable for academic and/or clinical teaching purposes.

All Sanctuary events must be booked through the Spiritual Care main office at 519-685-8418 or SpiritualCare@lhsc.on.ca. A scheduled booking does not reserve either Sanctuary for exclusive usage and all users are expected to share the space with others.

Please note that Sacred Readings, provided by local faith groups, are not currently available in the Sanctuaries to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Staff can request one be delivered by Spiritual Care Practitioners from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

At this time of responsible social distancing, please do not move chairs and maintain a distance of 2 meters at all times with others.