Deep Dive: Revisiting the work of chaplains
Regarding the work of chaplains (I spent over thirty years as a chaplain) the Spiritual Care Association sent this excellent quote from one of their older journals. It reflects my own concerns about the relevance of chaplaincy, especially in the Bible-Belt region of the United States.
What Must We Do to Strengthen our Profession as a Whole?
We often have an excellent reputation for serving those of the most prominent religious beliefs and practices in our region/setting. It behooves us to become more well-known for equally and effectively serving those who identify as spiritual-but-not-religious, secular humanist, scientific, atheist, non-sectarian, or holding religious beliefs different from the norm in our area.
Given clinical chaplains are embedded as health care team members, and we emphasize “chaplaincy care for all,” it is up to us to develop a richer history of seeking out and effectively serving those of less common beliefs. Many staff still pigeon-hole us into religious-only care, and many referrals are only for those who identify as Christian – that is, unless a clinical colleague knows us to be of a matching religious tradition or having proven skill in effectively providing for those with less common perspectives.
Ask the Chaplain: Annette Olsen PlainViews, 5/7/14, Vol. 11. No. 8
Chaplains must understand what we can do for all people (what all people need), what we can’t do for some people (I can’t do certain rituals with the prescribed practice), and be willing and able to refer but remain committed and available when needed. The happiest experiences I had as a chaplain were to get to know people of all traditions, to refer them to their spiritual leaders, and to remain in contact with them. Occasionally, we will need to create rituals that will connect with patients that may be diametrically opposed to our own. These kinds of connections require that we see our patients and families as our spiritual equals, people in deep spiritual need, and our teachers. In my experience, this is uncommon for chaplains. However, the chaplain who acts in this way is relieving suffering, doesn’t relinquish their own belief, and experiences a more expansive place in their role and purpose.