About Good Samaritan Hospital · Cincinnati, Ohio
The Good Samaritan Hospital Chapel is a Catholic worship space serving TriHealth's flagship hospital in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Located on the seventh floor of the Dixmyth Tower, the chapel is open daily for prayer and meditation and hosts regular Catholic Mass, with all services simulcast on the hospital's closed-circuit television system so bedridden patients can participate from their rooms. The hospital itself, founded in 1852 as Cincinnati's first private hospital under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Charity, is the oldest and largest private teaching hospital in Greater Cincinnati and remains a Catholic institution sponsored through Catholic Health Initiatives as part of TriHealth. The Pastoral Care department staffs on-call chaplains 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing sacramental ministry, grief support and spiritual care to patients, families and staff of every faith background.
- Established
- 1852
- Patron
- The Good Samaritan (the hospital and chapel take their name from the Gospel parable of the merciful Samaritan, Luke 10:25–37)
- Rector
- Rev. Ronald P. (Ron) Combs — part-time Chaplain of Good Samaritan Hospital (also Director of the Archdiocese's Office for Health and Hospital Ministries; appointed July 1, 2022)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
The Good Samaritan Hospital Chapel offers anyone — patient, family visitor, or hospital staff — a quiet Catholic space for prayer and Mass right in the heart of the Clifton medical campus. Daily Mass is televised on the hospital's closed-circuit channels so the sick can worship from their beds, and chaplains are on call 24/7 for Anointing of the Sick, Reconciliation, sacramental ministry and listening presence. As the spiritual heart of a Catholic hospital founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1852, the chapel carries on a 170-year tradition of caring for body and soul alike.
Mass times at Good Samaritan Hospital
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available upon request through the on-call chaplain (24 hours a day, seven days a week)
Adoration times
- Chapel is open daily for prayer and meditation
History of Good Samaritan Hospital
Good Samaritan Hospital traces its origin to 1852, when Archbishop John Purcell of Cincinnati bought a 21-bed former eye hospital and handed it to the newly independent Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. It opened as St. John's Hotel for Invalids, Cincinnati's first private hospital, and moved within three years to Third and Plum Streets, where during the Civil War its sisters became famed battlefield nurses. In 1866 banker Joseph C. Butler and Louis Worthington donated a building at Sixth and Lock Streets, renamed the facility 'The Hospital of the Good Samaritan,' and made its care open to all regardless of race or religion. By 1899 the hospital had graduated its first class of nurses, and in 1915 the entire operation relocated to its present Dixmyth Avenue campus in Clifton. Successive wings in 1927, 1959 and 1985 — plus a $122 million modernization completed in 2007 — turned the original two-wing facility into a 700-bed tertiary teaching hospital and one of Cincinnati's largest medical centers.
- 1852 — Founded by Archbishop John Purcell and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
- 1866 — Renamed 'The Hospital of the Good Samaritan' by benefactors Joseph C. Butler and Louis Worthington
- 1915 — Relocated to current Clifton/Dixmyth Avenue campus
- 1927 — Third wing opened
- 1959 — Fourth wing opened
- 1985 — Dixmyth patient care tower opened
- 2007 — $122 million modernization and Dixmyth tower expansion completed
- Part of TriHealth since 1995, jointly sponsored by Catholic Health Initiatives and Bethesda, Inc.
The Chapel
The Good Samaritan Hospital Chapel is on the seventh floor of the Dixmyth Tower. Visitors from the Main Entrance take the Dixmyth Elevators to the seventh floor and turn right. The chapel is open every day for personal prayer and meditation and is frequently used for prayer services, special events, the blessing of hands, and the celebration of religious holidays. It is a place of quiet refuge inside one of Cincinnati's busiest hospitals, serving inpatients, outpatients, families and staff of every faith background.
- Open daily for prayer and meditation
- Used for prayer services, blessings, and religious-holiday celebrations
- Closed-circuit TV broadcast of Mass on channels 4 and 5
Other Worship Services & Devotions
Alongside Catholic Mass, the chapel hosts regular ecumenical and non-denominational services and welcomes special seasonal celebrations and prayer services for the broader hospital community. The Pastoral Care team also offers the 'Blessing of Hands' — a brief, meaningful ritual acknowledging the dignity and calling of caregivers.
- Ecumenical / non-denominational worship services in the chapel
- Blessing of Hands available for patients, families and team members
- Special prayer services and religious-holiday celebrations
- All services televised on the hospital's closed-circuit TV (channels 4 & 5)
Pastoral Care Department
Pastoral Care at Good Samaritan Hospital integrates spiritual health with clinical care. Chaplains are assigned to each nursing unit and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The team offers spiritual care and emotional support to patients, families, visitors and staff regardless of religious affiliation, with special sacramental ministry for Catholic patients on request. Pastoral Care also liaises with a patient's own faith community when desired and provides information about Advance Directives for Healthcare.
- On-call chaplains available 24 hours a day, every day
- Spiritual care and emotional support for patients, families, visitors and staff
- Compassionate listening and presence
- Grief support
- Liaison with the patient's faith community
- Sacramental ministry for Catholic patients upon request
- Advance Directives information and counseling
- Pastoral and community-based ministry education programs
Sacramental Ministry
Catholic patients at Good Samaritan Hospital have full access to the Church's sacramental ministry through the Pastoral Care team. A priest-chaplain can be summoned at any time of day or night to celebrate the Anointing of the Sick, hear Confession, bring Holy Communion, or offer other rites as needed. This ministry is one of the hallmarks of the hospital's Catholic identity and is coordinated with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Office for Health and Hospital Ministries.
- Anointing of the Sick — available 24/7 on request
- Reconciliation (Confession) — by request through on-call chaplain
- Holy Communion brought to Catholic patients
- Coordination with the patient's home parish when desired
Clergy & Chaplaincy Staff
The hospital's Catholic chaplaincy is staffed by priests and lay chaplains serving patients, families and staff across the Good Samaritan campus. Fr. Ronald P. Combs, Director of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Office for Health and Hospital Ministries, serves as part-time Chaplain of Good Samaritan Hospital (a role he has held since July 1, 2022) while also continuing as part-time Chaplain of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The TriHealth Mission and Pastoral Care team includes additional Catholic chaplains, Board-Certified Chaplains (BCC) and CPE-trained staff who round out the round-the-clock coverage.
- Rev. Ronald P. Combs — part-time Chaplain; Archdiocesan Director of Health and Hospital Ministries (since July 2022)
- Rev. Cosmas Mabu — Chaplain (formerly Army chaplain in Nigeria)
- Debbie Knight, BCC — Catholic chaplain (513-862-5003)
- Annie Mesewicz — Chaplain (CPE-trained)
- Austin Schafer — Manager, Mission and Pastoral Care, Good Samaritan region, TriHealth
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Good Samaritan Hospital offers an accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program through the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. CPE is taken by seminary students preparing for ordained ministry, by ordained clergy seeking continuing education in pastoral/spiritual care, and by qualified lay persons discerning a vocation in chaplaincy or seeking deeper self-reflection and pastoral-care skills. It is the primary clinical training pathway for those preparing for professional chaplaincy.
- Fully accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
- Open to seminary students, ordained clergy, and qualified lay persons
- Primary clinical training pathway for professional chaplaincy
- Minimum educational requirement: high school diploma or GED (case-by-case review)
Location & Visiting the Chapel
Good Samaritan Hospital sits in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati, near the University of Cincinnati and the 'Pill Hill' medical district. Visitors entering through the Main Entrance take the Dixmyth Elevators to the seventh floor and turn right to reach the chapel. Pastoral Care can be reached at any hour by calling the hospital and asking for the on-call chaplain.
- Address: 375 Dixmyth Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45220
- Chapel: Seventh Floor, Dixmyth Tower (take Dixmyth elevators from Main Entrance, turn right)
- Pastoral Care phone: 513-862-2281
- Main hospital: 513-862-1400
- Chaplain Fr. Ron Combs: 513-263-6656
- Chapel open daily for prayer and meditation
TriHealth & Catholic Identity
Good Samaritan Hospital is a member of TriHealth, a joint operating agreement between Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and Bethesda, Inc. Cincinnati. Although TriHealth is an integrated, multi-faith health system, Good Samaritan retains its Catholic identity and heritage as a hospital founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. Its mission, pastoral-care structure, sacramental ministry and Mass schedule all reflect that continuing Catholic sponsorship.
- Sponsored through Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI)
- Original founding congregation: Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati (1852)
- Pastoral Care coordinated with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Office for Health and Hospital Ministries
- Part of TriHealth since Bethesda North joined the system in 1995
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Ronald P. CombsEffective July 1, 2022 – present
Appointed part-time Chaplain of Good Samaritan Hospital and Director of the Office for Health and Hospital Ministries of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, while continuing as part-time Chaplain of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.