Chaplaincy in the News

DMin with Chaplaincy Track Emory’s Candler School of Theology    Candler School of Theology at Emory University offers an online/hybrid Doctor of Ministry so you can earn your degree benefit from a top-25 university while staying rooted in your place of ministry, no matter where you are. Choose from four tracks, including Chaplaincy. Scholarships available. Priority deadline is March 1 for…

CPE Residency with Baptist Health System in Jacksonville, Florida   *$58,656 Annual Stipend + Benefits *September 2, 2025 - August 29, 2026 (see website link for application process) *Credit for 3 Full Units of CPE *Qualifications: one prior unit of CPE and Masters of Divinity or equivalent from accredited institution *Participation in hospital overnight on-calls…

Staff Chaplain Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida Job summary: The chaplain provides emotional support, spiritual counsel and comfort in addressing the spiritual needs of patients as assigned. This individual provides a spiritual perspective when consulting with Mayo Clinic staff, patients and families regarding ethical, moral or personal issues. The chaplain is skilled in crisis and bereavement…

The ECS Spiritual Care & Education Center at St. Mark's Hospital in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Residency Year. We offer 1st and 2nd year Residencies. 2nd year Residency focuses on leadership with a possible transition to CEC for those interested in becoming Certified Educators. The residency year runs…

Seeking Spanish-Speaking Chaplains for Pilot ¿Hablas español? An Indiana research team is seeking Spanish-speaking chaplains to try out a newly translated spiritual care delivery framework with Spanish-speaking patients and families. To participate you would: Watch a one-hour training video Try out the framework in your usual practice, with up to 3 Spanish-speaking patients and families…

Director of Spiritual Care Baptist Health - Montgomery, AL The Director of Spiritual Care at Baptist Health will manage spiritual care provision across the system’s three hospitals. A strong emphasis will be placed on building and maintaining productive collaborations with community clergy and congregations. The Director will also provide guidance and mentoring for spiritual care…

Emory Spiritual Health is accepting applications for its yearlong CPE residency program, which begins in September 2025. Emory Spiritual Health is now accepting CPE residency applications for openings at Emory University Hospital, Emory Johns Creek Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, Emory Decatur Hospital (clinical at EDH, LTAC, Hillandale), and Emory University Hospital Midtown (clinical at…

Chaplain Jefferson University Hospital Job summary: Provide spiritual care with respect, empathy and compassion to patients, families and staff within the large, diverse and busy Einstein Urban Core.   Assesses the spiritual, religious and emotional needs of individuals and develops care plans for addressing those needs.  Participates as a member of the interdisciplinary care team and…

Lab in CNN article The Lab was recently quoted by CNN Culture writer Harmeet Kaur in an article on humanist chaplaincy:   Even as the field is evolving and diversifying, many people still think of chaplains as religious leaders (Christians at that), says Michael Skaggs, director of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. He and his colleagues take a much…

New Public Safety Chaplaincy Training Program SCLEAP is preparing to launch a new Public Safety Chaplaincy Training Program (Fire + EMS + Law Enforcement) The training begins in January of 2025. The program is built around classroom sessions from 10:00 am on Friday mornings until 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoons once per month. This format…

Celebrate with us! It's Spiritual Care Week 2024! This week, more than any other, is about celebrating the work that you, our community, do day in and day out in your roles -- which often, in the words of the Spiritual Care Week's organizers, go "beyond religious roles." We're celebrating the week in a few…

Templeton Religion Trust makes grant to plan greater access to spiritual care September 9, 2024 Templeton Religion Trust, a global leader in philanthropic support for the study of religion and spirituality, has awarded the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab a planning grant to increase access to professional spiritual care. The grant continues the Lab’s work advancing covenantal…

August 1, 2024 Dear Friends and Colleagues, On behalf of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, I’m excited to share the details of our new subscription model. We in the Lab are proud of all the work we’ve done to date, and we invite you to join us as we continue to innovate in the field of…

Muslim Chaplaincy. Practice, Research and Recognition The conference link How do we tend to the spiritual needs of humans and the planet in a changing climate? Join this discussion series on July 16 & July 29 at 4pm PT/7pm ET to examine a spiritual perspective on care for ecological grief from leaders in chaplaincy, advocacy,…

Navigating Climate Spiritual Care A Learning Community for chaplains, pastors, educators, lay leaders, and spiritual seekers October 2024 – March 2025 Mondays • 7.00 – 8.30pm (Eastern) • Online Spiritual care in this time of climate change — with so many social, emotional, and spiritual consequences resulting from such instability — is both deeply necessary…

An important message about the future of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab and its community  June 27, 2024   Dear Friends and Colleagues, Thank you for all your kind words upon my appointment as the tenth President of Bryn Mawr College. I’m grateful for all your love and support as I transition into this role, which begins on…

Dana Fachner, MDiv, is a former chaplain and current doctoral student at the University of Arkansas. Dana seeks participants for the following study: Calling all Healthcare Chaplains! Please consider participating in this anonymous survey examining workplace violence against healthcare chaplains. The study is being conducted by former chaplain and current doctoral student Dana Fachner, M.Div.,…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2024 Ruderman Family Foundation and Chaplaincy Innovation Lab Launch Mental Health Support Training for Spiritual Counselors in Colleges Across Massachusetts The new initiative, which will train pairs of counselors and spiritual care providers to facilitate student groups across the state, aims to enhance mental health support on college campuses. [Boston,…

Faith Counts invites submissions for an essay series by chaplains: Chaplaincy: An Essay Series Faith Counts, a multi-faith nonprofit that promotes the pro-social value of faith in U.S. society, invites you to contribute your voice and experiences to an important discourse on the state of chaplaincy. Your unique perspective is invaluable in understanding the evolving…

Colleagues at Penn Medicine and Ascension Health are currently seeking chaplain participants for a study of the impact of COVID-19 on chaplains: Changes in Religion/Faith/Spirituality in Healthcare Chaplains during/post COVID-19 Dear Healthcare Chaplain Colleagues, Did you work as a healthcare chaplain during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic? Did this experience impact your personal faith/spirituality…

Colleagues at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital are seeking chaplains for an ongoing research project: Improving Palliative Care Teamwork in ALS - IMPACT ALS The purpose of this study is to better understand the emotional and spiritual suffering of persons with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (pALS), and to determine how conducting a spiritual assessment can provide emotional…

A new article by Lab Senior Advisor Professor Shelly Rambo (Boston University School of Theology) is now available in Journal of Pastoral Theology. You can find "Making a Case for College and University Chaplaincy: Howard Thurman as Guide" here; a citation and abstract are below. Rambo, S. (2024). Making a Case for College and University…

Late in 2023, the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab entered into conversation with Richard Thorne, a highly regarded and deeply respected leader in the Clinical Pastoral Education community. Over the course of a long career Richard’s company, Thorne Consulting, has helped many organizations identify top-quality Certified Educators to lead their CPE programs. We are extraordinarily proud to…

Lab colleague and animal chaplain Sarah Bowen, who has appeared on several Lab webinars, recently wrote for Spirituality & Health on the phenomenon of guilt surrounding animal loss. You can read the full article here; an excerpt appears below: Guilt related to animal loss is particularly acute, especially when we feel complicit in that loss. Our…

US Army Chaplain Corps Journal Call for Papers - November 2024 Military Chaplains and the Civil-Military Divide Deadline: May 1, 2024   The so-called civil-military divide has widened in recent years. Fewer and fewer civilians have meaningful experiences with or connections to the military. There is an increasing erosion of trust and understanding between civil…

New Chaplaincy Track Candler School of Theology’s DMin Candler School of Theology at Emory University offers an online/hybrid Doctor of Ministry degree so you can benefit from the resources of a top-25 university while staying rooted in your place of ministry, no matter where you are. Four tracks, including Chaplaincy, are available. Priority deadline is March 1 for…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2024 Spiritual Innovators Advancing Civic Engagement [Waltham, Mass.] – The Henry Luce Foundation has made a major grant to support a project led by Chaplaincy Innovation Lab & Glean Network, in partnership with Faith Matters Network & Innofaith. With this support “Spiritual Innovations: Advancing Civic Engagement" will chart a course for…

Spirituality and Practice offers several spiritual literacy certificate programs. Learn more about upcoming programs here: Spiritual Literacy powerfully enhances personal growth and professional development both within and beyond the arena of spiritual work. It enables leaders to embrace a broader perspective, achieve greater emotional intelligence, and discover their connections to all of life. They experience more resilience,…

From our partners at Academy for Jewish Religion - California: On December 13th & 14th, The Academy for Jewish Religion California will host two incredible virtual Spiritual Care and Education Seminars, featuring author Gilbert King (Devil in the Grove), Valerie Richards, MSW, Dr. Duane Bidwell, Dr. Victor Gabriel, Rabbi Rochelle Robins, Gagandeep Kaur, and Munir Shaikh. Please join us for these thought provoking sessions. Click here for additional details and the…

North American Hindu Chaplains Association Annual Conference Nurture, Reflect, Share & Imagine Yale University Saturday December 16 (incl. hybrid option) & Sunday December 17, 2023 With sponsorship by Chaplaincy Innovation Lab A retreat-like experience at the Yale University Divinity School: Connect 1:1 with peer chaplains Share stories, aspirations, and developments in our field of Hindu…

Are you a recent graduate of a hospital-based CPE residency?  Are you BIPOC, transgender or gender diverse, and/or from a religious minority community? We are conducting interviews for a study to learn more about the experiences of CPE residents from underrepresented groups who do their training in hospitals. (IRB# STUDY-23-00494.) The project is guided by this research question: Given that, historically and currently, healthcare settings…

 Now streaming! U.S. military chaplains combat Islamophobia and call for interreligious understanding in the new film Three Chaplains from director David Washburn and producer Razi Jafri. Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military support and defend the religious rights of all service members, but their leadership sparks accusations of disloyalty and even disapproval from within…

Sponsored by the Department of Religion at Chautauqua Institution, the Abrahamic Program for Young Adults (APYA) seeks to draw on the rich history and presence of religion at Chautauqua Institution by providing opportunities for interfaith dialogue and service to young adults interested in ministry, chaplaincy, or interfaith work more broadly.   For the 2024 summer season,…

From our colleagues at Mount Sinai in New York: Are you a recent graduate of a hospital-based CPE residency?  Are you BIPOC, transgender or gender diverse, and/or from a religious minority community? A research time at Mount Sinai in New York is conducting interviews for a study to learn more about the experiences of CPE residents from underrepresented groups who do their…

Dr. Steven Cunningham, Director of Research and of Pancreatic and Hepatobiliary Surgery at Ascension St. Agnes in Baltimore, Maryland, recently gave Grand Rounds on the importance of religious literacy. You can view the presentation below. Dr. Cunningham previously joined the Lab community for a webinar on his book It's Considerate to Be Literate about Religion. You…

NAJC is excited to announce its new podcast, NeshamaCast! This periodic podcast, led by NAJC Board member Rabbi Ed Bernstein, BCC, will feature interviews with subjects involved in the fields of chaplaincy and Jewish spiritual care. NAJC invites you to listen to each episode to gain insights and wisdom you can take back to your…

 As part of the ongoing research project "Queer Calls to Chaplaincy" into the experiences of LGBTQIA2S+ chaplains, we invite anyone who is working as a chaplain, whether in a paid or volunteer capacity, to respond to our survey about queer chaplains and their experiences. Visit the Qualtrics survey here. If you are eligible to complete…

Our project on convenantal pluralism and chaplain supply and demand, supported by Templeton Religion Trust, now features the video below about the future of spiritual care. Want to know what the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab is working on day in and day out? Check out "Chaplains: Leading amidst Change" here! Covenantal pluralism is an emerging framework around…

From our partners at the Danielsen Institute at Boston University: Paid research opportunity: share your experience as a chaplain—and invite your partner’s perspective, too! Very little research to date has explored chaplains' relational well-being outside of work. We are conducting a study to explore how chaplains—and their families—are doing since the pandemic, and what you…

From our partners at the Danielsen Institute at Boston University: CHRYSALIS program to support chaplains’ well-being—enrolling now for fall cohort! Are you feeling lonely? Burnt out? Longing for something more than just "self-care"? Join a free, empirically based personal and professional formation space for chaplains. Building on support groups offered in partnership with CIL during…

A new article in the Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy from Lab researchers offers a landmark analysis of chaplaincy’s high value to those in need and significant challenges to the profession’s public image. “How does the American public interact with chaplains? Evidence from a national survey,” by Amy Lawton, Wendy Cadge, and Jessica Hamar Martinez…

Wendy Cadge, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab and Brandeis University Delivered at The Chautauqua Institution Interfaith Lecture Series July 11, 2023 Introduction Religion is really different now. Have you noticed the churches for sale in your city and neighborhoods? Are growing numbers of your friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers not religiously affiliated? Think about the last…

Our colleagues at the Shay Moral Injury Center of Volunteers of America have launched their new Moral Injury Certificate Program. More information is available below. Details Dates: October 2 - December 20, 2023 Registration deadline: September 20, 2023 Enrollment Fee: $600-$800 (sliding scale available; payment plan option available, as well as a special rate for…

Larisa Waya, Staff Chaplain at the Center for Spiritual Care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, recently submitted a reflection to the third annual writing contest “Boston in 100 Words.” Her flash story “Aerosmith and Bostonian Chaplains” was selected as a finalist. We republish her flash story with permission below:   Boston does not have night life,…

The International Network of Engaged Buddhists is seeking modest funding to support an upcoming event on Buddhist psychotherapy and chaplaincy. You can support this project through the Global Giving platform. More on the event: Summary The International Buddhist Psychotherapy and Chaplaincy working group (IBPC) is a group of Buddhist chaplains, Buddhist-based psychotherapists, and Buddhist activists…

Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health at Emory University will host presentations on spiritual care by CCSH Fellows in CBCT Compassion Training on July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31, and August 7. Full information is available here; the schedule is below: July 10 Onsite: EUHM Davis Fischer Classroom 1 Online: Register here Karen Anderson, “Empathic Balance…

Our colleagues in military chaplaincy, or those interested in military chaplaincy, may be interested in The US Army Chaplain Corps Journal. The Journal is publicly accessible at no charge. You can find the May 2023 issue here.

From Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy comes this call for papers on healthcare chaplaincy in a pluralistic context: Aims of the Special Issue: The goal of this special issue is to examine how the practice and function of chaplaincy is changing in a pluralistic context. We invite papers that investigate: Case descriptions of chaplaincy interventions or organizations.…

The Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy has published a special edition on the history and experiences of chaplains of color. Lab leadership and colleagues across spiritual care practice contributed to the edition, and we encourage you to explore the variety of articles covering a range of issues vital to understanding the current state and future of spiritual…

WALTHAM, Mass. (May 26, 2023) – Through a grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab at Brandeis University has funded four projects to advance innovative approaches to Jewish spiritual care. Recent research from the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab found that Jewish chaplains are often embedded in a wide variety of institutions but…

Excerpted from Jewish Journal: [Taylor] Buehler is one of nine student chaplains currently enrolled in a CPE program offered by Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School that cares for more than 3,000 seniors a day across six campuses, including the Jack Satter House in Revere. The CPE program focuses on spiritual care for seniors…

From our colleagues at the Institute for Islamic-Christian-Jewish Studies comes a new program of interest to chaplains in Maryland: ICJS is offering five Spiritual Care Capacity-Building Grants to chaplains and spiritual care providers. The grants offer up to  $1,000 each to organizations to address the interreligious needs of chaplains in small organizations with limited access…

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab wants to hear from you about potential case study topics to support a new project. Can you think of a time when spiritual care made a significant difference to an institution or organization? How about an example when spiritual care helped an institution respond to a problem or tension? Might the…

Our partners at Union Theological Seminary have announced an upcoming, two-day course on the "impact factor" of spiritual care:   Chaplaincy and Healthcare Leadership: Bedside, Breakroom, Boardroom, and Everywhere In Between Dates/Times: June 23 (1-6pm EST) and June 24 (9am-5pm EST) Location: Online Instructor: Richard Gannotta, DH This course provides a unique opportunity for current and…

We have been thinking a lot at the Lab about what it would mean and require to build an approach to spiritual care based on demand. What does this mean?  Who receives spiritual care? First, it means thinking about spiritual care first from the perspective of care recipients. Who are care recipients? Where are they?…

Memorial Day and Military Moral Injury: How Might Faith Leaders and Communities Respond? Tuesday, April 25, 2023 2:00 p.m. EDT Register here Memories of engaging in war and military interventions forever shape the lives of veterans of such conflicts, the families of those who love them, and especially the families whose loved ones died in…

The Buddhist Chaplaincy Peer Circle offers events and resources for Buddhist chaplains wherever they may serve. Information for BCPC offerings in April 2023 is below: Buddhist Chaplain Peer Circle - April 2023 Monthly Meeting (2nd Saturday of every month): April 8th, 12-1:15 PM Eastern "Exploring Forgiveness: Softening Hard Feelings toward Self and Others," with speaker…

Our partners at Union Theological Seminary have announced an upcoming, two-day course in organizational leadership competencies: Dates/Times: Friday, April 21 (1-6pm) and Saturday, April 22 (10am-6pm) Location: Online Instructor: Tara Bedeau Registration Deadline: Sunday, April 9 All our work in organizations is grounded in an operational structure. This course on organizational leadership comptencies focuses on the most common…

Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in the Twenty-First Century Tuesday, March 28, 2023 1:00 p.m. CDT Register here Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in the Twenty-First Century: An Introduction, edited by Wendy Cadge and Shelly Rambo, addresses the complexity of spiritual care in a context shaped by multiple, intersecting diversities, and related social challenges in contemporary life…

Our colleagues at University of the West have announced a forthcoming course in April: University of the West is offering a Community Education class titled, “International and Intercultural Chaplaincy.” This case-based course will examine how spiritual care is performed and is developing within and across different nations and cultures. The coursework will look particularly at…

A master’s candidate at Harvard Divinity School is collecting interviews from prison chaplains (across faith traditions, both volunteer and paid). They are interested in learning how people came to prison chaplaincy, how they understand “spiritual resilience” in the context of prison chaplaincy, and how they see their role as prison chaplains fitting into wider conversations…

Aaron Morrill is a graduate student at the Jewish Theological Seminary looking to interview chaplains for a research project about Jewish mourning rituals, with a specific focus on unexpected death (i.e., deaths where loved ones do not have substantial time to process the possibility of death before it occurs). Interviews focus on chaplains’ thoughts on…

From our colleague Sarah Jobe, co-chair of the Innovations in Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Program Unit of the American Academy of Religion: Dear academics, students, and actively serving chaplains, We invite you to submit a paper for the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Deadline for proposals is March 8. Innovations in…

Our colleagues at the Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute at Boston University have announced new support groups for chaplains and others. Read more about the Danielsen support groups below: The COVID-19 pandemic, systemic oppression, and collective trauma are just a few of many national and global crises facing our world today, which have taken a…

Our colleague Jill Greenbaum has created the resource “How can a chaplain help you?”, which can be shared digitally or physically to offer a quick introduction to the work of spiritual care to patients, families, and others. Jill is a visual storyteller and story catcher with a special interest in end-of-life care. Over two years…

How the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab helped me in 2022 Jacquetta Gomes Fire Chaplain United Kingdom The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab offered wonderful support to chaplains, including me, in 2022. This assistance is unique, helpful, informative and valuable.    CHAPLAINCY INNOVATION LAB CHAPLAIN SUPPORT GROUPS Starting in 2021 and ending in 2022, I participated in three support…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! David Golbitz, “Drug enforcement and chaplain corps take center stage in Citizens’ Police Academy second week” (The Daily Nonpareil) Ian Hodgson, “As New…

With support from the Louisville Institute, the Lab’s Dr. Amy Lawton is starting a paid research study about how LGBTQ+ people decide to become chaplains. We are interested in talking to anyone still in discernment or at the beginning of their career (training or working for less than 5 years). If interested, please fill out this…

The Buddhist Chaplaincy Peer Circle offers events and resources for Buddhist chaplains wherever they may serve. Information for BCPC offerings in February 2023 is below.

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Tori Bergel, “Spiritual care documentary ‘A Still Small Voice’ debuts at Sundance” (Jewish Insider) Mike Dardis, “Faith and Football: How Bengals team chaplain…

From our colleagues at the Muslim Endorsement Council comes this announcement for the MEC Islamic Leadership Conference: March 4, 2023 8 AM - 6:30 PM Eastern Union Theological Seminary - James Memorial Chapel 3041 Broadway New York, NY 10027 (Google Maps link) Workshops include Quranic Literacy, Prophetic Praxis, Cultural Competencies, Facilitation Skills and Professional Practices.…

From our partners at Hartford University for Religion & Peace comes this announcement about Chaplains of the Book: March 15, 2023 9 AM - 5 PM Eastern Hartford International University for Religion and Peace 77 Sherman Street Hartford, CT 06105 (Google Maps link) Chaplains of the Book is a full day program designed for Jewish…

From Fabian Winiger (University of Zurich) and our colleagues at Transforming Chaplaincy on telechaplaincy.io: Telechaplaincy.io: A New Resource for Telechaplains In 2016, the American Medical Association surveyed 1,300 physicians on their use of digital technologies in patient care. At that time, a small minority of 14% used virtual visits (“Tele-Visits”) to care for their patients.…

Lab Director of Programs Michael Skaggs was recently interviewed for a story on Religion Unplugged covering the burgeoning field of animal chaplaincy. Also interviewed was Lab webinar guest Rev. Sarah Bowen, author of Sacred Sendoffs. Read "Animal Chaplaincy Has Become A Growing Profession" by Andrea Cooper in full here. An excerpt follows: Never heard of this…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Christian Bennett, “Chaplains work to prepare the spirit for dying” (Pocono Record) Wendy Cadge, “Who’s giving Americans spiritual care? As congregational attendance shrinks,…

Filmmaker Luke Lorentzen has created A Still Small Voice, a documentary on chaplaincy which will be shown at the Sundance Film Festival 2023 in January. Lab colleague Rev. David Fleenor (Stony Brook Medicine) worked with Lorentzen to create the film, in which "An aspiring hospital chaplain begins a yearlong residency in spiritual care, only to…

The Buddhist Chaplaincy Peer Circle offers events and resources for Buddhist chaplains wherever they may serve. Information for BCPC offerings in December 2022 is below. The chaplain peer-to-peer virtual café support, Drop-by & Decompress, meets on the 4th Tuesday of every month at 5 pm PST (45 minutes). For December, that will be 12/27. Bring…

Chaplaincy Innovation Lab partner The Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School offers free monthly webinars of use to religious leaders and professional caregivers supporting veterans and their families. The forthcoming session will be on DEI in the Air Force: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion A New Curricular Focus in the Air Force Chaplaincy Education Curriculum…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! John Hamilton, “New police chaplain introduced” (Wilmington News Journal) Aimee Minbiole, “Tucker Center welcomes new Muslim chaplain” (Dartmouth News) Jordan Rushing, “Descendant’s donation adds…

Lab Director Wendy Cadge was recently featured on the podcast Religion Unmuted, discussing the work of spiritual care as whole person care. You can listen to the episode below or on Spotify / Apple. You may also be interested in Professor Cadge's new book that also discussed whole person care: Spiritual Care: The Everyday Work…

Executive Program in Faith and Social Impact University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice From our colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania: Taking place over 8 months, our Executive Program in Faith and Social Impact offers students the tools, community, and confidence needed to effectively drive social change in their communities and work. Graduates…

Our colleagues at AAHPM have launched "Bringing NCP Domain 5 to Life Within Your Hospice and Palliative Care Practice Micro-Learning Flight." Domain 5 is the spiritual/religious/existential domain of the NCHPC Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. This training program is available to all at no charge. Course overview: Palliative care clinicians are advocates for…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Francesca Block, “‘For God and Country’: Lt. Col. Martha Kester serves as country’s first female state chaplain” (Des Moines Register) Frederick Kunkle, “US…

Oncology Communication Training With support from the National Cancer Institute, The purpose of this train-the-trainer course is to provide interprofessional communication training to nurses, social workers, and chaplains working in adult oncology settings and to help prepare them to provide communication skills training at their home institutions. Full course brochure available here. This NCI sponsored education…

Anne Hege Grung, Complexities of Spiritual Care in Plural Societies: Education, Praxis and Concepts (DeGruyter, 2022) From the publisher: This volume contributes to an emerging field that could be referred to as "plural spiritual care and chaplaincy." Its innovative approach brings together contributions from a broad range of contexts and religious traditions and includes empirical…

Lab colleague and Transforming Chaplaincy Fellow Beba Tata-Mbeng, Manager of Spiritual Care at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, was recently named a Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare's National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year. This award recognizes extraordinary healthcare professionals from across the country who embody the characteristics of compassionate care and whose professional achievements have helped to…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “5 ways Buddhist chaplains provide care and make meaning from suffering,” Tricycle. “Irish war chaplain’s canonisation cause to open in Mullingar next month,” Westmeath…

Our partners at Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains invite you to a series on dementia chaplaincy: Helping People Living with Dementia their Families October-December 2022 Series flyer here. Register by emailing info@najc.org. This series on dementia chaplaincy includes the following sessions: October 24, 2 PM Eastern Dr. Marc Agronin October 31, 2 PM Eastern Rabbi…

From our partners at the North American Hindu Chaplains Association: 2022 Annual Conference North American Hindu Chaplains Association November 12-13, 2022 https://www.hinduchaplains.com/annual-conference.html   Join us in Boston or online as we discern ways to articulate our Hindu philosophies and practices to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) objectives, mental health support and community thriving.…

From our colleagues at Overlook Medical Center: Relevant and Responsive in Times of Crisis Celebrating National Spiritual Care Week Friday, October 28 — 12:00 to 1:00 PM Eastern The Spiritual Care team at Overlook Medical Center will host a Zoom webinar to engage the surrounding chaplaincy community. For more information and to register, contact Chaplain…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “A hospital chaplain on what it means to have a ‘good death’” (US Catholic) Anonymous, “The challenge of being an agnostic chaplain in…

From our partners at the Soul Repair Center of Brite Divinity School: “Military Chaplaincy: Identifying Effective Practices in Spiritual Care” October 18, 2022, 1:00pm (US Central Time) Register here Trace Haythorn, Ph.D., is the Executive Director/CEO of the ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education. In addition to his role with ACPE, Trace partners…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Tanner Holubar, “Tyson Foods chaplain creates food distribution program in Enid, beyond” (Enid News & Eagle) Austin Nivison, “Sister Jean, 103-year old Loyola…

From The Johns Hopkins Department of GYN/OB: Patients experiencing pregnancy-related concerns desire spiritual support from chaplains, but there is little information on how providing this care affects chaplains themselves. The Johns Hopkins Department of GYN/OB is conducting interviews as part of a research study to better understand chaplains’ experiences providing pastoral care for patients with…

SoJo Action, from Sojourners, invites chaplains to serve at polling places in the upcoming midterm elections. You can learn more and volunteer here.

From our colleagues at the Marsh Center for Chaplaincy Studies: “Caring for Others, But Not at the Expense of Oneself” October 13, 2022, 2:00 - 4:00 pm (US Central Time) This free webinar’s focus will explore what can happen to the individual who provides care to others and the potential trauma one may incur from…

Michelle Mueller, adjunct faculty at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, has compiled a library guide ("libguide") on Paganism, including resources for Pagan chaplains. You can access the libguide here.

From our colleagues at the Buddhist Chaplain Peer Circle: Our upcoming monthly Saturday meeting is on October 8th at 9 am PST (1.5 hours) - on peer support, workplace resources, and interfaith conversations for Buddhist chaplains in the field. Join HERE (passcode: BCPC2022) Also, our Chaplain peer-to-peer virtual café support, Drop-by & Decompress, is meeting…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “Senior Chaplain at ‘Ground Zero’ Tells His Story” (COL Live) Anthony Carter, “Jackson county’s new K-9 chaplain aims to help de-stress first responders”…

Lab colleague and Transforming Chaplaincy Fellow Beba Tata, Manager of Spiritual Care at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, was recently awarded one of five $100,000 grants by the John Templeton as part of the George Washington University project "Advancing Spiritual Care in Everyday Clinical Practice to Improve the Quality of Spiritual Care in Serious and Chronic Illness."…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Theresa Civantos Barber, “Sister Jean, Loyola’s beloved basketball chaplain, turns 103” (Aleteia) Kait Hanson, “Hospital chaplain reflects on job as ‘grief catcher’ in…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “The challenge of being an agnostic chaplain in the US government” (Only Sky) Russ Cassady, “A different kind of emergency response; crisis chaplain…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “MN National Guard welcomes first Jewish chaplain” (KVRR) “Stella Maris port chaplain honoured with US award” (Vatican News Service) Dara Harper, “From the…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “Philadelphia July 4th shooting: Police chaplain funeral card found with bullet lodged in officer’s hat” (Fox 29) Miguel Legoas, “‘Rambo’ recruited him: Military…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “The spiritual and the human: Chaplains help Ukrainian soldiers with both” (Crux) Nick Blank, “Penney Farms Navy Chaplain recalls journey and service in…

Lab colleagues Lance Laird and Samsiah Abdul-Majid have published "Muslim Chaplains in the Clinical Borderlands: Authority, Function, and Identity" in Journal of Religion and Health. You can read the abstract of the article below and in full here. This article, based on twenty in-depth interviews, examines the experiences of Muslim interfaith spiritual care providers in US…

Nicole Holm, a chaplain with Allina Health, recently appeared on the podcast Inside EMS. She and her colleagues discuss how to help workforces deal with emotional trauma after tragic events. You can listen to the podcast here.

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Blake Brown, “Baldwin County chaplain remains in Uvalde two weeks after mass shooting” (WKRG) Wendy Cadge and Michael Skaggs, “How the role and…

From Reed Kolber: We Are Stardust: A workshop celebrating the wisdom and magic of our bodies  through creative practice LGBTQIA+ folks are among the most creative people on this planet, creating realities  and reimagining a world from the inside out—not of how things are but to how things  could be. We are visionaries. In what…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “Buddhist Chaplains on Rise in US, Offering Broad Appeal” (Associated Press) Blake Brown, “Baldwin County chaplain helping families of NY, TX shootings” (WKRG)…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Alicia Naspretto, “Chaplain blesses hands of Waco nurses” (KXXV) Eric Pilgrim, “Lineage of faith unites father, son in Chaplain Corps service” (US Army)…

The Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School offers free monthly webinars of use to religious leaders and professional caregivers supporting veterans and their families. Patterns of Potential Moral injury Reported by Post 9/11 Combat Veterans and Health Care Workers during COVID 19 Implications for Military, VA, and Hospital Chaplains Wednesday, May 25, 2022 1:00…

From our colleagues at the George Washington University Institute for Spirituality & Health (GWISH): The Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum (ISPEC©) training course offers a unique opportunity for clinicians and chaplains from the same health setting to learn how to integrate spiritual care into patient care throughout their organization. Facilitated by global leaders in the…

From our colleagues at the George Washington University Institute for Spirituality & Health (GWISH): For over 20 years at GWish, we've been working toward making spiritual health a standard of care in global health systems. But as far as we’ve come, there is much to do, which is where you come in. As part as…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Murray Brewster, “‘Pray for them’: A Canadian military chaplain reaches out to refugees fleeing war in Ukraine” (CBC) Jade Flury, “Wausau Fire Department…

Please note the links in this post are affiliate links. Chaplaincy Innovation Lab may receive a small commission if you utilize the below service. New from Muslim chaplain Nora Zaki: MyMuslimChaplain offers extensive chaplaincy, educational and consulting services for institutions of higher education, especially those that do not have a Muslim chaplain.  Sign up for workshops…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Michelle Anguka “Across Religious Differences: Interfaith Expression Flourishes at Chapman” (Chapman University Newsroom) Claire Ganz, “Spiritual care” (Martha’s Vineyard Times) Alexandra Koehn, “‘Liberating…

"Caregiving: Buddhist Chaplaincy and the Art of Becoming a Bodhisattva" A 5-Day Retreat with Cheryl Giles and Chris Berlin June 3 - June 8, 2022 at Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Find more details and register here.

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Dan Bellinger, “How can a hospital chaplain help me?” (Parkview Health) Katie Keleher, “Tulsa police officer, chaplain work together to help homeless man…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Del Bartels, “Local chaplain heads to Europe for Ukraine relief” (Capital Journal) Barry Black, “Perspective: Uniting a divided world” (Deseret News) Ingrid Hernandez,…

From our colleagues at the Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute at Boston University: The Danielsen Institute at Boston University is recruiting participants for a Therapy Group for Spiritual Care Providers and Religious Leaders serving in Massachusetts. Participants will have opportunities to explore their intersecting identities and interpersonal issues in more depth alongside other religious leaders…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Michele Fiore, “‘We will not abandon you’: Local chaplain sends message of hope to Ukrainian officers he once mentored” (CBS 58) Russ Myers,…

From Russ Myers at EMS1: Openly acknowledge the bad calls, create space for people to be human and then get out of the way Chaplain Russ Myers It is immensely valuable to utilize the language of “ambiguous” in describing a particular call, or job. It might be good for the clinical challenge, bad for the…

From the Social Science Research Council: The Religion, Spirituality, and Democratic Renewal (RSDR) Fellowship of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) aims to bring knowledge of the place of religion and spirituality into scholarly and public conversations about renewing democracy in the United States. These fellowships are offered by the SSRC Program on Religion and…

Now available from Templeton Press: Mantle of Mercy: Islamic Chaplaincy in North America Muhammad A. Ali, Omer Bajwa, Sondos Kholaki, and Jaye Starr From the publisher: This engaging collection presents thirty essays by Muslim chaplains reflecting on their experiences as spiritual caregivers. Through their first-hand accounts, they impart how they skillfully apply the mercy and…

Spiritual Assessment and Intervention Model Launches New Website The Spiritual Assessment and Intervention Model (Spiritual AIM) has launched a new website. Spiritual AIM is a unique, dynamic, evidence-based assessment model that helps providers—chaplains, social workers, and others—engage in the relationships required to best meet the needs of those they’re serving. Developed from real-life examples of patient…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Kirstin Cutler, “Adventist Health Chaplains Meet Diverse Spiritual Needs” (Northwest Adventists) Chase DeFeliciantonio, “‘I’ve seen a lot of death, and it’s made me…

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab is pleased to congratulate our colleague Allison Kestenbaum for receiving the 2022 Doris A. Howell, MD Award for Advancing Palliative Care. From awarding organization CSU Shiley-Haynes Institute for Palliative Care: Allison Kestenbaum, MA, MPA, BCC-PCHAC, is the supervisor of Spiritual Care and Clinical Pastoral Education at UC San Diego Health. She…

The Religion and Spirituality Special Interest Group of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group and Transforming Chaplaincy are seeking focus group participants among chaplains working with dementia patients. We are looking for chaplains to participate in one of four focus groups exploring providing spiritual care and religious care with people with dementia in long term…

From our colleagues at the CSU Shiley-Haynes Institute for Palliative Care: The in-person National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care Education and Research in San Diego, CA, has been moved to April 21-22, 2022. Register by March 18 and save $50 off the regular registration fee with promo code SYMP22Early. Don’t miss this incredible program, featuring…

From the Chicago Tribune: Chris carries much in his spiritual care tool bag: prayer, meditation, counseling, Healing Touch, reiki, dignity therapy, the Enneagram and advanced care planning, among many things. His favorite is supporting something called life review because, “everyone has loved something and lost something along the way.” He creates the space for people…

From Lab colleague David Fleenor: We believe that chaplaincy counts in The Episcopal Church, so we want to count the chaplains of the Episcopal Church. Supported by a grant from the United Thank Offering, the Rev. David Fleenor and the Rev. Margaret Rose (ecclesiastical endorser for The Episcopal Church) seek to determine how many Episcopalians…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Joseph Hammond, “Muslim Chaplain Talks about Life in US Military” (Voice of America) David Jay, “Veterans honor World War II chaplains in Laurel…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Ryan Hill, “Demand for chaplains grows at Blessing” (WGEM) Ben Kessling, “To help battle COVID-19, a hospital borrows tactics from combat veterans” (Wall…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Christina Aguayo, “Therapy Dog Molly delivers care packages, hope to heroes with Texas chaplain” (KTSM) Kari Beal, “Everyday Hero: Novant Health Hospital chaplain…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Consult QD, “Photo essay: spiritual care at Cleveland Clinic” (Cleveland Clinic) Eriketa Cost, “Rochester Regional chaplain reflects on year and a half into…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “With smooth stones, slips of paper, clasped hands, WellSpan teams reflect on pandemic” (WellSpan Health) Gale Horton Gay, “Former inmate returns to prison…

From GeriPal: I don’t consider myself spiritual.  For some in palliative care, this would be considered heresy as we are told “everyone is spiritual.”  But, hey, I’m not.  So there.  However, despite not being spiritual, I do believe that spiritual care is fundamental to the care I give patients and families.  I also recognize it…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Emily Alvarenga, “Henry Mayo chaplain’s lifelong calling to help others” (The Signal) Joe Drape, “War and soldiers have changed over a century. Chaplains…

City of Hope is now accepting applications for its August 2022 train-the-trainer course using the Interprofessional Communication Curriculum in Portland, OR. Participants, which are limited to chaplains, nurses, and social workers will receive free registration, 3 nights' lodging, and some meals. Learn more here. The early bird application deadline is May 6, 2022.

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Deepa Bharath, “Hospital chaplains help workers heal with compassion and spirituality” (OC Register) Bryce Ethridge, “A chaplain’s story: May shares experiences with hospice…

From Bryan Mealer, writing in The Guardian: But perhaps ironically, our most humbling and difficult work had little to do with death. It involved helping our patients – those convicted of crime; diagnosed with a psychosis; grappling from diabetes; rendered without home and those declared “alien” by law –– feel fully alive and accepted in…

From Dr. Karen Erlichman, LCSW, published in Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Companionship, on a new model of spiritual care supervision: The model outlined is a simple acronym that highlights the essential qualities of a dynamic, multidisciplinary approach to supervision with clearly articulated ethics, a strong social justice perspective, and rel- evant psychospiritual and somatic concepts…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Taylor Criswell, “Chaplain joins forces with behavioral health” (Fort Hood Sentinel) Bo Johnson, “Anthony Cruz Pantojas hired as new Tufts Humanist chaplain” (The…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office launches police chaplains program” (CentralJersey.com) Hilary Chala, “A message to physicians from the chaplain” (Baylor College of Medicine) Devika…

In the Spring 2022 semester, Boston University School of Theology will launch 2 new chaplaincy courses. Interested students in the Boston area should contact to inquire about enrollment in these chaplaincy courses. Spiritual Care for the Non-Religious Mary Martha Thiel (Hebrew SeniorLife) Ylisse Bess (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) 1 credit: M 1/3/22 9 AM-12…

From Eunice Oh, writing for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on meditation for healthcare staff: “We want to help people find a moment of calm because we recognize the type of work that happens at a place like Children’s Hospital. Whether it’s a nurse, someone from facilities or a researcher in the lab, everyone can benefit…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Braley Dodson, “‘There is a lot of grief’: Hospital chaplains busier as delta variant surge continues” (WBTW) Mike Driscoll, “27 people died homeless…

In this series, we highlight articles and other works on Jewish chaplaincy as part of our project Leading Where Life Happens: Mapping and Building the Field of Jewish Chaplaincy, supported by the Charles H. Revson Foundation. I was the NYPD’s only Jewish chaplain at ground zero. Here’s what I learned on 9/11. By Alvin Kass,…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Diane Bell, “Muslim Army chaplain recalls Pentagon terrorist attack aftermath” (Union-Bulletin) Alvin Kass, “I was the NYPD’s only Jewish chaplain at ground zero.…

Excerpted from the 9/11 Memorial: “He loved the firemen and they loved him . . . for him they were the purest religious order,” said newspaper reporter and friend Michael Daly. “And his feeling being that they were ordinary people, but when that alarm came in that kind of grace descended upon them.” Judge was…

Buddhist chaplains are invited to two upcoming events hosted by Buddhist Chaplain Peer Circle: Drop-By & Decompress: September 14, 2021 at 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST (45 minutes). Live Zoom link here. “The Only Buddhist in Town”: September 18, 2021 11:30 AM PST / 2:30 PM EST (90 minutes). Live Zoom link here.

Lab colleague Will Whitmore, School Minister at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, speaks here on the podcast Sport.Faith.Life. 051 | Seize the Day You may also be interested in Will’s appearance on a 2020 Chaplaincy Innovation Lab webinar on sports chaplaincy. Will is also featured in our project THIS Is What a Chaplain Looks Like.

**Update September 2021: CHAPLAINS has been renewed for another two-year cycle with PBS. It will air at least through November 2023.**   CHAPLAINS is a 2-hour documentary film that takes the viewer into the dynamic world of chaplains – men and women who represent their own particular faith tradition but are trained to be of comfort…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Leslie DelasBour, “Chaplains share bedside prayers given to sick, dying COVID patients” (KSHB) Emma Goldberg, “The New Chief Chaplain at Harvard? An Atheist”…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “New memoir from Black Army chaplain shares a message of hope, faith, and more” (BlackNews.com) Mark Abramson and Ruth Graham, “In Surfside, age-old…

Lab partner Glean Network is now accepting applications for START, its 10-week Spiritual Entrepreneurship program, until September 10. START is an MBA-level certificate program that develops your skills as a Spiritual Entrepreneur and prepares you to imagine, design and launch a spiritual enterprise. START is taught by seasoned faculty from Columbia Business School and Glean…

Support our staff Mayo Clinic Florida Chaplain Beba Tata, Mayo Clinic Florida As we face the reality of the new COVID surge, the stress on frontline staff is becoming evident. It feels like treading on familiar grounds in a very unfamiliar way: increased workload, long shifts, personal risk of infection, and feelings of isolation as…

Assistant Director for Spiritual Wellness Location Albion, Michigan Description Albion College invites applications for the Assistant Director for Spiritual Wellness position. We are especially interested in candidates who will contribute to a campus climate that supports equity, diversity, and belonging. The Assistant Director for Spiritual Wellness (AD) will work in deep collaboration with the OIW…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “First female chaplain now serving in the Missouri National Guard” (KSN) Del Bartels, “A touch of peace during crisis – chaplains in the…

Spiritually integrated care and chaplain collaboration in organized care settings From Psychological Services, a journal of the American Psychological Association: Traditionally, psychologists have shied away from providing spiritually integrated care in organized settings for many reasons, including a) feeling that they have too little training to respond appropriately, b) fears about encroaching on church-state boundaries,…

Saint Elizabeth's Hospital currently accepting applications for an immediate vacancy in its residency program. The residency program provides students with three (3) units of CPE. This position is also open for students seeking a second-year residency. Saint Elizabeths Hospital is a world-renowned public mental health residential facility that serves as the inpatient program of the…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Dalia Faheid, “There are 11,073 Muslims in federal prisons but just 13 chaplains to minister to them” (WVTF) Ari Hait, “Palm Beach County…

Two articles recently were published and may be of interest to chaplains involved in palliative care or with an interest in social determinations of health (SDH): Grant E, Sisson CB, Hiatt TL, Stirewalt FK, Crandall SJ. Family Conference Simulation Designed for Physician Assistant Students and Chaplain Residents. J Palliat Med. 2021 May 25;. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2019.0563.…

From Patheos: Hospital chaplains play an important role in helping the person who is dying, but also in comforting the family members who are grieving. In this episode, we interview three chaplains who tell their individual stories of serving those at the end of life and their families, striving to demystify death and remove the…

An interdisciplinary approach to support hospital staff during the COVID-19 pandemic From White Plains Hospital, by Rabbi Fredda Cohen, MA, JD, BCC; Laura Himmelstein, LCSW, CHTP; and Laura Romeo Sobel, MS, CCLS\ Abstract Westchester County, in New York, was one of the first areas in the United States to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.…

From the Seafarers International Research Centre, Cardiff University: This film reports on some of the findings from the project "Religion in multi-ethnic contexts: a multidisciplinary case study of global seafaring," funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and to whom Lab Director Wendy Cadge and Lab Advisor Jason Zuidema contributed.

From the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine: Taking the Lead in Difficult Conversations Concrete Tools for Chaplains July 26 at 2pm CT   Sponsored by Cambia Health Foundation, in partnership with the Association of Professional Chaplains and Transforming Chaplaincy, Allison Kestenbaum, MA, MPA, BCC-PCHAC, ACPE and Katy Hyman, MDiv, BCC will be using…

From Shay Moral Injury Center and Volunteers of America: Moral Injury Recovery in the Aftermath of COVID is a daylong online course for clergy, chaplains, and spiritual caregivers. It is 7.5 contact hours, and CEUs are available. It is an experiential and trauma-informed course designed to help participants learn strategies that support healing moral injury…

With thanks to our colleagues at Transforming Chaplaincy:   Call for Papers Spiritually Integrated Care and Chaplain Collaboration in Organized Care Settings Submission Deadline: October 15, 2021 The editorial staff at APA Division 18’s journal, Psychological Services, is inviting manuscripts for a special issue on spiritually integrated care and collaboration with chaplaincy as they can…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Allison Kestenbaum, “I’m a chaplain who provides support when needed. Here’s how we’ve been helping COVID-19 patients.” (San Diego Union-Tribune) John Linzmeier, “Barrier…

From Allison Kestenbaum, Lab colleague and supervisor of Spiritual Care and CPE at UC San Diego, writing in The San Diego Union-Tribune: Wherever there is human vulnerability, we are there to provide support. We also give emotional and spiritual support to family members and loved ones of all ages, seeing them as part of the “patient…

From David Rosmarin, writing in Scientific American: Spirituality has historically been dismissed by psychiatrists, but results from a pilot program at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts indicate that attention to it is a critical aspect of mental health care. In 2017 my multidisciplinary team of mental health clinicians, researchers and chaplains created Spiritual Psychotherapy for Inpatient, Residential and…

From Commonweal and our partners at the Fetzer Institute: Commonweal and the Fetzer Institute announce a new partnership to build American Life Corps, an immersive residential experience for 20-24 year-olds to spend four to six months living and learning together.  American Life Corps will build diverse cohorts of transformative young adults equipped to help their communities thrive.…

Providence St. Joseph Health in Portland, OR invites applications for the position of Senior Research Scientist. Information below copied directly from listing page: Description: Providence St. Joseph Health is calling a Senior Research Scientist, Spiritual Health to our location in Portland, OR. The Research Scientist will conduct industry literature reviews and develop partnerships and research…

From Lab colleagues Celene Ibrahim, Elizabeth Aeschlimann, and Nancy Fuchs Kreimer in Harvard Divinity Bulletin: THE CAMPUS CHAPLAIN’S job is a peculiar mix of the mundane and the ineffable. Some days, it requires placing just the right-sized catering order, and others it requires emotionally supporting—sometimes physically—an inconsolable parent who has received a nightmarish word of a child’s…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Adelle M. Banks, “Unknown Soldier’s precarious journey home included chaplain’s prayer” (Religion News Service) Celene Ibrahim et al., “Campus Chaplains Hold the Center…

From City of Hope: Interprofessional Communication Curriculum (ICC) is a new professional training program funded by the National Cancer Institute that focuses on communication training in oncology. Organized by the eight domains of the National Consensus Project Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, ICC is a train-the-trainer course for interprofessional clinician teams to help prepare them to…

From our partners at New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care: Interested applicants should apply here. It is with great pleasure that we announce a new position at New York Zen Center, the Contemplative Educator Candidate. As the Zen Center continues to serve as medicine for these times, we are delighted to expand the teaching leadership…

Focus, the magazine of Boston University School of Theology, has published an article featuring Lab advisor Heidi Kugler and Lab colleague Ylisse Bess, both alums of BUSTH. You can read “Faith and resilience in a difficult time” here.

Originally posted at the Carilion Clinic newsroom. Andrew Tressler, BCC leads the project below as part of the Lab’s program on supporting resilience in frontline providers. May 21, 2021 The program seeks to provide caregiver support and bolster resilience through rapid response to staff distress and long-term staff support resources. A Carilion team was recognized…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! “Hospital chaplain leans on faith for patients and to fight against discrimination” (News 12) “When police knock on newcomer’s door, training and empathy…

From Diana Kruzman, writing for The New York Times: Ms. Morton occupies a rare niche — the M.T.A., which runs New York’s subway, buses and two commuter rails, is one of the few transit agencies in the country to have a chaplaincy program. In a typical year, it helps employees deal with stresses like abusive passengers…

From our partners at Daring Compassion: We are thrilled to announce our 2021 Daring Compassion Movement Chaplaincy Virtual Symposium! The 2021 Daring Compassion Movement Chaplaincy Deconstructed Symposium is a series of online discussions and workshops for movement chaplains and others interested in care, accompaniment, healing and resilience building in social change movements. Like so many,…

From Emory University: A postdoctoral fellow position is available with the Emory University School of Medicine’s department of Family and Preventative Medicine and the department of Spiritual Health in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center to join an innovative group of interdisciplinary scholars conducting research at the interface of spirituality, mind-body practices, and health.  This fellow…

Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom (Shambala, 2020), edited by Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Lab Scholar-in-Residence Cheryl Giles, has received the 2020 Nautilus Gold Award in Religion / Spirituality of Eastern Thought. The Lab congratulates Yetunde and Giles on this well-deserved honor. The Lab hosted a webinar on…

Inspire, from Providence General Foundation, has published an article on the work of Rev. Kenneth Chukwu. Chukwu is a recipient of a Henry Luce Foundation / Chaplaincy Innovation Lab Building and Supporting Resilience grant. You can read his article, which covers his work to implement CISM training at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, right here.

From Sam Mednick at Associated Press: In interviews in the Center-North and in Ouagadougou, the capital, military chaplains told The Associated Press that they are stretched thin by the unprecedented conflict and what assistance they are able to provide through phone calls and prayer services is insufficient. Just seven chaplains, hailing from Protestant, Catholic and…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Denny Davies, “To turn the corner on Air Force suicides, let chaplains take the lead” (The Hill) Joanne Haner, “NU alumnus Amar Shah…

From our partners at the North American Hindu Chaplains Association: Presence and Possibility Affirming the significance of our work alongside our care recipients whether in person, on the phone, or through digital platforms and looking forward to what unfolds next. Conference program, speaker bios and registration available on our NAHCA website. Sessions will be recorded;…

Guest article by Chaplain (Colonel) Karen Meeker, Eighth Army Command Chaplain, and Chaplain (Major) Eric Dean, Eighth Army Deputy Command Chaplain The global pandemic of 2020-2021 has had far reaching and sometimes unexpected effects. In the U.S. Army, this has led chaplains to hold in tandem three inextricably connected but distinct issues: the U.S. Constitution,…

This post was originally published by Diana Kruzman from Vice This demand for spiritual care in 2021 may seem surprising; religious belief is in decline across the U.S., and clinical therapy is becoming more widely available and increasingly destigmatized. But in secular institutions around the country—from the New York metropolitan transit system to universities, labor unions, and government…

This post originally published in a newsletter distributed by the United States Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. Republished by author’s permission. Rev. David Hottinger, BCC, Manager, Spiritual Care Department, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, MN   While the COVID-19 pandemic confronted professional Chaplains with distressing realities that sometimes pushed…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Peg DeGrassa, “MLH awarded grant to fund self-compassion training for health care workers” (Delco Times, reporting on the Lab’s resilience project) Editorial Board,…

See original posting here. Applications close: April 30, 2021 This Campus Minister provides ministerial leadership and vision for the Department of Campus Ministry, serves as the primary animator of ecumenical Christian ministry on campus, and supervises the Campus Minister for multi-faith support (envisioned) to ensure the development of opportunities for faith formation, religious practice, and religious…

Originally published by Mayo Clinic’s News Center: Mayo Clinic chaplains have received a grant to launch “Together: We’re Better,” a pilot initiative to address social isolation, compassion fatigue and emotional exhaustion in staff as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.       As staff across Mayo Clinic continue to care for patients with COVID-19 and manage their own work and…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Allina Health EMS, “Allina EMS chaplain releases new text” (EMS World) Gina Ciliberto, “Why do chaplains have to pay for their internships?” (Sojourners)…

Sean J. Labat, Madness, Mysticism, and the Origins of Clinical Pastoral Education (New York: Lexington/Fortress, 2021) With this book Sean LaBat offers a concise, stimulating and insightful analysis of the life and work of Anton Boisen, a central character in the establishment of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and healthcare chaplaincy as practiced today. The book is much…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Emily McFarlan Miller, “United Methodist Church names its ninth Appalachian Trail chaplain” (RNS) Tamara Wilden, “Wounds not always seen by naked eye” (Delaware…

We feature here news from the world of spiritual care as it’s been covered in the broader media in recent days. Have a story you’d like us to share? Let us know! Daniel Burke, “A Ministry of Presence” (Tricycle) Anne Kadet, “Covid Turns Chaplains Into Personal Shoppers for Cargo Ship Workers” (Wall Street Journal) Ellie…

The Boston Globe magazine has published a feature-length article on contemporary chaplaincy, which we encourage everyone to read closely. Wendy Cadge, Lab Director, is quoted in the story: “They see a different way to heal the world than their parents or grandparents did, and it’s not based in religious organizations,” says Wendy Cadge, a sociologist at Brandeis…

From our partners at New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care: It’s never been more important to cultivate love, resilience, and connection. With the current toll on our minds, hearts, families, and health care systems in the midst of the pandemic, and more broadly the “pandemic of isolation”, it’s never been more important to cultivate…

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) seeks a transformative leader to be the next Chair of the Department of Patient Counseling in the College of Health Professions and the Director of Pastoral Care for VCU Health. Interested individuals can contact Amy J. Armstrong with any questions at ajarmstr@vcu.edu or apply at https://www.vcujobs.com/postings/103608.

This podcast posted by Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response.  Chaplain Russell Myers, Allina Health EMS, talks about the role of chaplains in EMS and emergency dispatch. He discusses research he’s conducted about the most stressful EMS calls as well as things to consider when deciding whether to bring a chaplain into your center.  Chaplain Myers also authored an article on EMS…

This article originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of EMS World. Reprinted by permission.  by Russell Myers A 9-1-1 caller frantically told the dispatcher a 9-year-old child had been seriously injured in a traffic accident. The dispatcher paused and took a deep breath, thinking for a moment about his own school-age children. The ambulance crew…

Making invisible visible Elaine Yuen, PhD, Educator and Chaplain Making the invisible visible – a skill often engaged in chaplaincy practice – is one that seeks to find words and narratives that surface hidden anxieties and sufferings.[i]  In Chenxing Han’s book, Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists, this humanizing impulse of…

Buddhist Chaplaincy Offers Spiritual Friendship as a Model for Care Jamie Beachy, PhD, ACPE Certified Educator Naropa University Buddhist practitioners are entering the field of professional spiritual care in increasing numbers and expanding and deepening the practice of chaplaincy. In a newly released book, Kalyānamitra: A Model for Buddhist Spiritual Care, Volume I (Sumeru, 2021)…

From Lab colleagues at Mount Sinai and Union Theological Seminary: Sacred Practice A Conversational Space for Interprofessional Health Care and Theological Students Collaboration of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Union Theological Seminary   What is Sacred Practice? Sacred Practice is a monthly online symposium where students in theological, clinical pastoral education, medical,…

From Jack Jenkins at Religion News Service: Variations of this complicated feeling — a mixture of hope, euphoria and lingering despair — were reported to RNS by a number of hospital chaplains who were vaccinated in recent days. Even while they rolled up their sleeves to join other frontline workers as some of the first…

From Kalyn Kahler at The New York Times: Despite his best efforts, Randall Cunningham just can’t retire from football. A former quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, he tried walking away from the game twice, dabbling in a variety of activities to fill the void. “Going golfing and going to the movies, and…

The Lab is thrilled to pass along the news that Rear Admiral Margaret Kibben, former Chief of the Chaplains of the US Navy and Chief of Chaplains for the US Marines, has been elected Chaplain to the United States House of Representatives. Admiral Kibben is also an advisor to the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. From Dustin…

By Jessica Alyea This piece originally appeared on the website of Clark Memorial Hospital. Republished with permission. When the unthinkable happens and a family arrives at the emergency room, physicians and nurses cannot linger; they must move on to the next patient who needs help. When they must step away from a grieving family, Joe…

The Theology Programme at the University of Otago invites applications for the full-time position of Lecturer in Chaplaincy Studies. The position is a five-year fixed-term appointment. They are seeking someone with research and teaching experience and a completed PhD in the area of Chaplaincy Studies, Pastoral Theology or Practical Theology. Applicants with a PhD in other…

From Arun Rath and Amanda Beland at WGBH: In it Together This is the last night of our look into mental and emotional health during this pandemic. First, we checked back in with Dr. Fatima Watt from Boston’s Franciscan Children’s about how kids of all ages are continuing to make do during this time, especially…

Hospice of Hope, a rural non-profit hospice serving the northeastern Kentucky counties of Mason, Fleming, Bracken, Lewis, Robertson and Pendleton and the south-central Ohio counties of Adams, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Highland and Pike has an opening for a full time Hospice Chaplain to provide care in facilities and homes in our Kentucky service area. The…

Healing the Healers - Special Edition COVID-19 Live Town Hall Series In this moment of social uprising and the compounding crises related to the global pandemic, many clergy and lay leaders are experiencing a pull to use pastoral skills in service to the wave of social change and constantly shifting needs. Movement Chaplaincy, the work…

A significant new article has been published in Support Care in Cancer, authored by Transforming Chaplaincy alum and Levine Cancer Institute chaplain Petra Sprik and others. You can find “Feasibility and acceptability of a telephone-based chaplaincy intervention in a large, outpatient oncology center” here, with the abstract below: Telechaplaincy (the use of telecommunications and virtual technology…

From our partners at the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care: Proposed Lecture on “Moral Distress” CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care Fall 2020 The onset of the COVID crisis in healthcare organizations precipitated manifestations of moral distress in all involved: staff and their families, and patients and families. Lack of supplies, equipment, and manpower,…

Lab colleague Dr. George Grant, Executive Director of Spiritual Health for Emory Healthcare, recently appeared on an episode of “Health is Everything.” The podcast is produced by the Emory University Center for the Study of Human Health. You can listen to the episode here.

From Alejandra Molina at Religion News Service Chaplains — who perform ministerial duties apart from a house of worship — have long been familiar faces at airports, hospitals, colleges, military bases, and prisons. They do ministry in the midst of everyday life. It’s not uncommon to see them in homeless shelters or in New York’s subway stations.…

Heard on All Things Considered on NPR: Throughout this week, many people have turned to social media, vigils and demonstrations to share their grief. But what about police officers? We thought their chaplains might have some answers, so we called Mark Clements. He’s president of the International Conference of Police Chaplains. He was at a…

From The Economist: One of the toughest things about Covid-19 for Pamela Lazor, as for workers in hospitals across the world, has been watching patients die without a loved one close by. As a chaplain at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, part of her job is making sure dying patients have the company of…

By George T. Smith, CSB from Toronto School of Theology: TST COVID-19 Prayer For all who have contracted coronavirus, We pray for care and healing. For those who are particularly vulnerable, We pray for safety and protection. For all who experience fear or anxiety, We pray for peace of mind and spirit. For affected families…

By Carol Kuruvilla from the Huffington Post: Hospital chaplains are specialists in grief, trained to provide comfort to dying patients and families experiencing the deepest pain and loss. But the scenes inside hospitals hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic have tested their calling like perhaps no other event in our lifetimes. HuffPost talked to six…

From Bridget Power via WBUR “Hello! Hola! Cómo estás?” I ask, peering into the eyes of my patient’s concerned adult children. “Muy bien, Bridget.” “Gracias.” “How is Mamacita today?” I have never met this family, but in the dozen or so video calls that we have had during the past month, I have gotten to…

From Faith and Leadership: In the national aftermath of recent racist violence, a church and a community continue the work of healing as they mark the five-year anniversary of the Charleston massacre. On June 17, 2015, nine church members and clergy were murdered there. The victims included the senior pastor, the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, along…

From Laurence Cawley and Matt Precey at BBC News: Coronavirus has radically altered the working life of hospitals. But it has not just affected the doctors, nurses and ancillary staff. While the main role of chaplains – helping patients find a sense of peace – remains unchanged, the way they are doing that has changed beyond…

By Devon Haynie at U.S. News & World Report: The Rev. Kris Pikaart is a chaplain for Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services in Gallup, New Mexico, a town that borders the Navajo Nation. Sometimes I get a sense of, ‘I’m going to need a six-month sabbatical just to begin to make sense of this.’”The “this”…

A podcast conversation with Chaplain Reverend Dr. Jacob George via Phillip Seminary Center for Religion in Public Life: Chaplains can be found in all kinds of institutional roles these days, from Tyson Foods to the military and hospitals. The Rev. Dr. Jacob George is the director of pastoral care at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa. After…

From Jordan Ritter Conn at The Ringer: Chaplains care for patients and their families and even the doctors and nurses and other members of hospital staffs. This can mean praying together, reading scripture or poems. It can mean listening to stories, helping family members reflect on their most cherished moments with a patient they may…

From Chris Sikora at the New York Times: “If we’re going to survive this pandemic we need music, more than ever. There is nothing else that can meet us in our heartbreak, elevate our spirits, move us to laughter and let us dream in the way that music can…. As a hospice chaplain and former…

From Michelle Micklewright via collegevilleinstitute.org: “I breathe in, calm, I breathe out, healing. From a distance I send healing to Astor. I imagine her lying in her bed. I align my breathing with hers: slow, rhythmic. I ground myself. Lying in my bed, I feel the solidity of my body and renew my connection with…

From Marnie Eisenstadt at Syracuse.com: The Rev. Terry Culbertson went up to the floor at Upstate University Hospital with a few others. They stood outside the door. They could not go in. She played the guitar and sang “Amazing Grace.” Others joined in.  For more than two months at Upstate, clergy have called families who cannot…

From Bryan Mealer at The Guardian: For chaplains working in hospitals, the virus has obliterated the old places and practices where they once channeled the divine: the quiet bedside, an embrace in the hallway, a hand on a trembling shoulder. Like the ancient Israelites who carried God in a tent while they wandered through the…

From Claire Galofaro at the Associated Press, via The Washington Post: Runyon thinks of himself a narrator, there to explain what the doctors are doing, so the family is not too shocked or scared. The family could see that the nurse was holding his hand with one of hers, and rubbing his head with the…

From Lab founder Wendy Cadge at The Atlantic: Their grandparents may have gone to church. But today, many Americans turn elsewhere to meet their spiritual needs. Read more here.

From Danae King at the Columbus Dispatch: “We’re still doing our core mission … to provide emotional and spiritual support to patients, families and staff,” said Hanci Newberry, chaplaincy director at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “We have to do it in new ways.” Chaplains also can be with patients and their families via…

By Beth Brogan at News Center Maine: Erica Long, a graduate of Cony High School in Augusta, Bates College, the Harvard School of Divinity, says she is ‘grateful’ to be able to serve during coronavirus. Prior to the pandemic, Long and other chaplains at Mass General offered end-of-life support, led support groups for nurses and doctors,…

From Jim Tuttle and Cecily Sailer at Aunt Bertha|The Social Care Network:  With regular caseloads of more than 60 families, Hospice Austin Chaplains Katrina Shawgo and Nettie Reynolds would each routinely visit three or four homes a day to spend time with terminally ill patients and their loved ones. These visits might include bedside prayers,…

Watch here Dr. Rita Brock’s Interview on CNN Re: Moral Injury & COVID-19.  

From Katja Ridderbusch at US News and World Report: “Sometimes, health care can wear you down. And you wonder if you are making a difference,” she says. But the people she’s working with do, she adds – there’s “no doubt about that.” Jackson-Jordan is a hospital chaplain with Emory Healthcare in metro Atlanta. Across the…

From Christina Walker at CNN: “It’s my calling to show up and be a presence in the face of human suffering,” says Bohman, executive director of the Sojourn Chaplaincy at San Francisco General Hospital. “And right now, that suffering is compounded by Covid.” The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted how we grieve and heal. Families are forced to…

From Martha Bebinger at WBUR: Hospital and nursing home chaplains are working round the clock, often in circumstances they never imagined, as the death toll from COVID-19 rises in Massachusetts and beyond. WBUR asked four members of the clergy who counsel patients in COVID-19 units to capture part of this experience. Listen to the story…

Watch here a recording of Dr. Rita Brock’s interview on CNN on Moral Injury and the Covid-19 pandemic.

From Mark Patinkin at the Providence Journal: So far, more than 90 patients have been placed on ventilators at Rhode Island Hospital and Lifespan’s other properties.  Rich Santello was among the first. Around half the respirator patients have died, a bleak mortality rate, but improved since Rich was admitted in late March. Nationally, back then, the COVID…

By Arun Rath from WGBH: Host Arun Rath spoke from two hospital chaplains about the work they are providing to coronavirus patients and their families. Watch the segment where host Arun speaks to the chaplains from 2:40 until 20:25. Watch here.

From the Harvard Divinity School: A Joyful Sorrow- Providing care and comfort for those with COVID-19 Harvard Divinity School: What’s a day in the life of a hospital chaplain during the COVID-19 pandemic? Erica Rose Long: “It’s incredibly powerful. Last Friday, for instance, I said final prayers for a patient who was dying of COVID. Then I led…

From Keagan Harsha at Fox 31 Denver KDVR: There are many stories about COVID-19 patients dying alone in hospitals, miles from their families. However, when it comes down to it, most are not actually alone, thanks to hospital chaplains like Megan Cox. “I consider it sacred. They need hope. They need encouragement, they need inspiration to keep…

From Erica Ruggiero at  The Chronogram: In the world of coronavirus, the halls at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie are quieter than normal. While still accepting non-COVID patients, fewer guests and visitors roam the halls and fill the waiting rooms of the hospital. The day-to-day care of the sick and injured continues as normal, however,…

From Julian Cardillo at BrandeisNOW: There’s nothing like a life-and-death pandemic to give new meaning to one’s studies and interests. Simona Shuman ’22, a sociology major, is working with professor Wendy Cadge on the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab (CIL), a venture Cadge started in 2018 to support research and teaching about spiritual care in a range…

From Hayley Smith from the GroundTruth Project: For chaplains and other spiritual care providers, the responsibility of tending for the sick and suffering isn’t just about supporting those infected with the virus—it’s about the people who provide their care, too. “What we’ve seen in the last month is a real demand for chaplains in healthcare organizations,”…

By Doug Brunk  from MDedge Internal Medicine: The first time that the Rev. Michael Mercier, BCC (a board-certified chaplain), provided spiritual care for a patient hospitalized with COVID-19 in March, he found himself engaged in a bit of soul-searching. Even though he donned a mask, gloves, and gown, he could get no closer than the…

From Earle Cornelius at Lancaster Online: Connecting with patients by digital means, holding phone and Zoom prayer conferences for hospital staffs, standing in for family members with a dying COVID-19 victim. This is part the new reality for hospital chaplains. Because family members and outside clergy are not allowed into hospitals, chaplains are on the…

From Shelia Poole at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: In normal times, Jackson-Jordan, chaplain of Emory Decatur Hospital, would pray side by side with sick patients or with grieving family members, clasp their hands, wipe tears, and be a voice of solace. But in the wake of a global pandemic, there is no normal for hospital chaplains…

From Julian Cardillo at Phys.org: Americans of faith are adjusting to the new reality of not being able to gather in worship because of the coronavirus pandemic. Most chapels, synagogues, churches, mosques and other sacred spaces have temporarily shuttered to prevent the disease’s spread, disrupting communal worship. In response, faith communities nationwide are taking new,…

By Cathryn J Prince at the Times of Israel: With a ‘new normal’ causing most clerical duties to be conducted via phone or video chat, spiritual caregivers try to adapt without changing what works most Giving comfort in the time of COVID-19 presents unique challenges for Jewish clergy, who like their colleagues across faiths, are used…

From Aysha Khan at Religion News Service: What will the next decade hold? We asked scholars, faith leaders, activists and other experts to reflect on some of the biggest shifts in religious landscapes they have seen over the last 10 years — as well as the biggest themes in the world of religion that they…

From Lab founder Wendy Cadge and Executive Director Michael Skaggs at The Conversation: More and more institutions across the United States are hiring chaplains and other spiritual care providers. Some are places that have long employed chaplains, but others may come as a surprise. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, recently installed a new chaplain.…