Pastoral Work: Search for a Common Language (original) (raw)
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MCAST Journal of Applied Research & Practice, 2022
Little data exists on the work conducted by chaplaincies in the Maltese educational system, and less so about chaplaincy work occurring on campuses around post-secondary institutions. The declining numbers of churchgoers implies that less people are active in the pastoral work based around the same settings. It also highlights the need for chaplaincies to be more relevant to the needs of its members. This study highlights the need for using a multidimensional approach when working with students and to incorporate the social sciences as a path leading to pastoral praxis, to better respond to the fluid and dynamic theological realities found within a chaplaincy setting. A grounded theory approach was utilized since this is the preferred method for theory building. Since the aim was to listen to what the participants, based on their pastoral experiences both in MCAST and in other pastoral settings, had to say, a theoretical statement was then constructed that incorporated the salient points of the pastoral and educative work of the Salesians of Don Bosco at MCAST.
MCAST Journal of Applied Research & Practice
Little data exists on the work conducted by chaplaincies in the Maltese educational system, and less so about chaplaincy work occurring on campuses around post-secondary institutions. The declining numbers of churchgoers implies that less people are active in the pastoral work based around the same settings. It also highlights the need for chaplaincies to be more relevant to the needs of its members. This study highlights the need for using a multidimensional approach when working with students and to incorporate the social sciences as a path leading to pastoral praxis, to better respond to the fluid and dynamic theological realities found within a chaplaincy setting. A grounded theory approach was utilized since this is the preferred method for theory building. Since the aim was to listen to what the participants, based on their pastoral experiences both in MCAST and in other pastoral settings, had to say, a theoretical statement was then constructed that incorporated the salient p...
2018
The recent surge of case studies in chaplaincy care raises challenges on the comparability of case studies and the degree to which they elucidate the relation between theory and practice. The Dutch Case Studies Project (CSP) addresses these and other issues by use of a set format and procedure and by evaluation in research communities of chaplains and academic researchers. We first place CSP in the context of Dutch chaplaincy and its recent history. The question of selection of a case for a case study then leads to a discussion of a number of methodological issues. That moves into an explanation of the following steps in the procedure: description, evaluation and finalization. Issues for further discussion and a conclusion complete the article.
Communicating in chaplaincy: fundamentals and case studies
Practical Theology, 2024
Reflecting on the pastor's professionalism is one of the tasks of practical theology. The goal of this article is to contribute to good practice in Christian chaplaincy. We investigate how to communicate as a chaplain and, to this end, we discuss the functions of asking questions as exemplary of professional chaplaincy interventions. Methodologically, the article has a theoretical as well as an empirical scope. For the former, we develop fundamentals for communicating in pastoral care; for the latter, we make use of illustrative case studies from Dutch chaplaincy. This article discusses the different levels of pastoral care: the facts told, the meanings people attribute to these facts, and the core of the conversation, that is the religious or existential aspects. We analyse the step from the level of facts to the level of meaning in pastoral care. The article then moves to the core of a conversation. In the respective paragraphs, case studies provide insights into how chaplains used questions to guide people from one level of communication to the next.
Chaplaincy : life in the hush and the hurry
2018
Hospital chaplaincy is currently and has been historically a vocation that avoids being put into a neat box that describes what chaplaincy is and what chaplains do. Chaplains live in-between the worlds of the secular and the sacred while performing services for others similar to what both counselors and pastors perform. It is in these in-betweens and uncertainties that the chaplain ministers to patients and loved ones in the most vulnerable times of their lives. Through my chaplaincy internship at Ball Memorial Hospital, I was able to experience firsthand how to be present with those in spiritual and emotional need, patients, family members, and staff. I learned about myself, how I interact with others, and most importantly found a vocation that I feel called to pursue. My decision to attend seminary and pursue pastoral ministry in the near future was a direct result of my internship experiences. This paper is an account of my chaplaincy internship experience and an illumination int...
International Journal of Christianity & Education, 2021
This article delineates the foundational theological principles upon which a Catholic Higher Education chaplaincy devoted to the spiritual development of staff and students might rest. We claim that this is a key dimension of chaplaincy work. In a (post)modern culture where staff and students exhibit a range of beliefs or none, we offer a broad definition of spirituality not necessarily tied to religion and construct a framework which might appeal to a wide cross section of people attending Catholic Universities. It examines how the insights and guidance of two French Catholic writers, the 16th century priest St. Francis de Sales and the contemporary philosopher Jean-Luc Marion, offer a basis for understanding what constitutes a spiritual approach to life. We suggest that their emphases on the power of love, the heart, God’s glory, imago Dei and gift constitute a ground of hope and stable base from which spiritual progress might take place. We also outline how this template challeng...
A chaplain's introduction to cognitive styles
This workbook is meant to be used as an introductory course to mental symmetry. It focuses upon the hospital chaplain who is bringing spiritual help to someone in a medical crisis, but is also appropriate for any religiously orientated social worker who is interacting with the health system. This workbook recognizes the Christian perspective, while taking a cognitive approach and acknowledging that we now live in a post-Christian, multi-religious, and multicultural environment. We will define religion as the human attempt to deal with the deepest questions of human existence. These questions tend to be ignored during normal life because they are uncomfortable. However, a person in a medical crisis comes face-to-face with these deeper questions and is looking for answers. We will examine how each of the seven cognitive styles deals with such a crisis and we will suggest that the medical experience can provide a starting point for discussing possible answers in a manner that is both plausible and meaningful. We will also discuss how Romans 12 spiritual gifts are taught in Christian circles and examine how this relates to the deeper questions of life. (The updated version fixes several typos.)
The Role and Skills of a Hospital Chaplain: Reflections Based on a Case Study
2010
Patients in hospital can face some of the most profound human experiences, as much of their understanding of themselves, and their outlook on life, are challenged. Drawing on a case study, this article explores the role of and skills required by hospital chaplains in providing spiritual care to a new generation of patients who do not belong to and/or believe in a particular faith tradition. Through listening and building relationships of trust, offering a spiritual perspective, and using liturgy and liturgically-based ritual with imagination and creativity, chaplains seek to help patients through times of difficult transition. By attending to the stories of patients' lives, chaplains help them seek meaning and hope, connect with what really matters in their life, and mark important moments and events.
Chaplains and the Overcoming of Religious Conflict in the Secular University
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