Family of WWII veteran upset at Newport Hospital for relocating memorial chapel

NEWPORT -- Family members of the late Dr. Charles Serbst -- a surgeon at Newport Hospital and prisoner of war during World War II-- were shocked and dismayed when they learned the chapel created at Newport Hospital in his honor was recently dismantled.

"It was something the family thought would never happen," said Jim Roggero of Portsmouth, the grandson of Serbst.

Roggero was notified by hospital staff last week the original chapel was being broken down. He said his family, and members of the community, raised money and established the hospital's chapel in 1971 after Serbst's death two years earlier. "Everybody in town is beyond upset," Roggero said.

Roggero cited comments on social media all denouncing the hospital's decision to dismantle the original Charles Serbst Memorial Chapel -- a room that was about 25 feet by 15 feet-- and relocate it to a smaller room -- approximately 7 feet by 7 feet -- down a nearby hallway.

"My family wouldn't even fit in this room ... They're moving it to a closet," Roggero said.

Jane Bruno, vice president of marketing and communications with Lifespan, which operates Newport Hospital, provided The Daily News with a statement on behalf of Newport Hospital.

"Newport Hospital has long made it a priority to support the spiritual and religious needs of our patients, families, staff and volunteers," the statement says. "With guidance from Michael Mercier, our director of spiritual care services, and staff chaplain Kate Perry, the chapel has moved a few doors down the hall from its first-floor location in the main building. As always, the space is intended to provide a peaceful and tranquil environment for anyone working in, or visiting the hospital, to reflect or pray."

Pamela Crocker, director of facilities services and planning for Newport Hospital, said the room that housed the original chapel will be used for patient financial counseling services; the old room for those services will make way for the hospital's Women's Health practice.

"From a space perspective, it made a lot of sense," Crocker said.

"It's tough to meet all the needs of all of the patients," Crocker added. "All three pieces of the puzzle [women's health services, patient financial counseling and chapel services] are prominent patient needs or patient services. ... Trying to balance them all was definitely a difficult act."

The Women's Health practice consists of a team of obstetricians, gynecologists and midwives who serve expectant mothers and women with gynecological issues, and the practice needed more space, Crocker said.

"It's about meeting patient needs," Rev. Mercier said when asked how he would respond to criticism from people in the community regarding the chapel's relocation.

The original chapel closed on July 22. The new location is open for use with simple, temporary furnishings but is still being refurbished, hospital staff said.

"The space to which the chapel has been relocated is a work in progress, and we ask people to pardon its appearance while we work to create a place of spiritual solace for all. We are collaborating with our spiritual care leadership to ensure that the final space will be welcoming to all visitors and conducive to prayer and meditation," Crocker said.

Roggero pointed to the lack of warmth in the new room. The stained glass window that was a feature in the old chapel is gone, for example. Roggero said he was asked by hospital staff if he'd like to retrieve a painting of his late grandfather that hung outside the chapel.

"My family helped with the donations in 1970 that got this going ... and now they're taking that away from those people," Roggero said. He acknowledged a commemorative plaque that's planned for the new space, but "that's not really what we paid for."

"I'm so shocked that they are doing this," said Deborah A. Crotteau, a Florida resident and Roggero's sister. She emphasized the kindness of selflessness of her grandfather. She recalled a house call he made years ago in Newport, tending to a woman sick with pneumonia and bringing fresh oil for her house tank so she'd stay warm.

He insisted on buying a patient's wedding dress. That kindness and selflessness stayed with him, even after the war, Crotteau recalled.

And she remembered spending hours in the hospital's chapel in 2016, speaking to her grandfather. It's a room, she says, that has brought solace to many. The original chapel "was such a beautiful place and such a peaceful place," she said.

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