Chaplain helps in the darkest hours

Torus Tammer

Chaplain Bill Dening is a spiritual altruist; able to thrive in times

where despair and doom are most eminent.

“I can be strong because I operate under the power of God,” said

Dening, the chaplain at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical

Center. “The way I function is that I love the Lord first and people

second.”

Dening, 65, has been the hospital chaplain for the past 14 years --

helping people cope with the loss of loved ones, praying with worried

family members and helping patients to find light in some of their

darkest moments.

The man of the cloth said that he just uses what he calls “the love

principal,” a very simple practice.

“It’s easy. All you have to do is just be a friend,” Dening said.

“That’s why I carry my pager 24 hours a day.”

Dening has had a connection with religion since childhood. He said he

first received the Lord at 14.

As a teenager, Dening spent a lot of time traveling throughout the

country, performing with his trumpet. In 1960, while in Maine, Dening met

the woman who would become his wife. Soon after getting married, the

partners found themselves entering into youth work.

It was not until 1973 that Dening actually took his first pastorate --

becoming the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church.

Dening’s segue into becoming a chaplain was rather unorthodox. A

parishioner from Calvary Baptist Church had been taken to Placentia Linda

Hospital in Fullerton after being involved in a car accident. Dening

arrived to offer support and began to pray for the parishioner when

suddenly he was approached by a hospital nurse who had overheard his

words.

“The nurse told me that their chaplain was about to have open heart

surgery and asked me if I would pray for him,” he said.

The chaplain, Henry Bueller, recovered from his surgery, unscathed.

In 1986, Bueller encouraged Dening to become the full-time chaplain at

the place where he still works -- the Fountain Valley Regional Hospital.

“The doctors, nurses and all the staff at Fountain Valley have been

incredibly kind to me,” he said.

Working as a chaplain, Dening has touched the lives of many

downtrodden by grief, fear and loss.

Among them is Shirley Fontana, who lost her husband, John, to cancer

two years ago.

“He was really amazing with John, even up to the last few days of his

life,” Fontana said. “John would look forward to seeing the chaplain, who

made him feel safe.”

According to Dening, his role often varies from that of friend to

psychologist to spiritual advisor. It is not unusual for the chaplain to

handle everything from praying with the patients to helping ease a

family’s trauma after a loved one has died.

Dr. Glen Justice, medical director of the Orange County Regional

Cancer Center in Fountain Valley, has known Dening for 14 years.

Justice said the gift Dening provides patients and families is

invaluable.

“With cancer, your attitude is critical,” Justice said. “He’s always

there -- developing a strong relationship with the patient as well as the

family, letting them ventilate and emote when necessary.”

Justice said Dening has the skill to speak with anyone -- from a young

child to a hardened executive.

“I’ve seen him give spiritual guidance to Hindus, Muslims and

Buddhists,” Justice said.