What is a Chaplain?

A chaplain is usually a person who is an ordained minister who has been commissioned by their religious faith group to minister in an institution, organization, or governmental agency. Chaplains have additional training for the specialized setting in which they work and are certified by an agency or organization that sets standards for their professional competence. The first chaplains were appointed for personal ministry to monarchs, or noblemen who owned their own chapels. Today chaplains serve in a variety of institutional settings such as hospitals, prisons, businesses, schools, diplomatic facilities and all branches of military service.

Chaplains Offer Spiritual Care

Everyone's life is a story, unique and precious. All the experiences we've had, decisions we've made and actions we have taken make up our stories. Telling our stories in the caring presence of a good listener is essential to our sense of identity as a unique individual and to our spiritual well being. Telling our stories helps us realize how we have contributed to the world, how we can find meaning or wisdom in our experiences, how our stories can help others, or how we want our stories to change or grow. One of the greatest gifts one person can give another is being a listening presence. And when we hit a crisis in our lives, such as a hospitalization or serious illness, having a listening presence to hear our stories is more crucial than ever. Crises are often turning points, often painful disruptions that can threaten the integrity of our stories. An attentive listening presence can help restore meaning and reclaim the values inherent in our stories bringing about renewed hope and healing. This is the core work of the hospital chaplain.

The Role of Chaplains at Lancaster General Health

The Pastoral Services Department was established in 1964 and initially funded by the Lancaster County Council of Churches. Today the department consists of five full-time staff chaplains, a Catholic priest, approximately 12 Chaplain Associates, and four residents.

The Pastoral Services Department is located in the James Street entrance to the hospital. Office hours are weekdays from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Phone 544-5979. A chaplain is available 24 hours a day by pager and can be reached by calling the hospital operator.

Chaplains provide one-to-one, short-term support to patients, their families and hospital staff. The department operates on a referral basis and receives requests from nursing, physicians, social workers, patient representatives, clergy, patients and family members. In addition, chaplains are included in a number of hospital emergency protocols.

Chaplains also provide support, counseling, and referral for hospital staff and their families and limited outpatient counseling and support to former patients and their families.

Staff chaplains provide lectures and workshops for various LGH entities, community organizations and agencies. They also serve as a liaison between the hospital and Lancaster area religious communities by:

Providing information on patients admitted to the hospital from area congregations.
Orienting new clergy to Lancaster General Health.
Developing educational events, workshops and conferences for clergy.
Providing support and expertise to clergy dealing with difficult pastoral care issues and situations.
Visitation of congregational members when clergy are out of town or unavailable.
Daily visitation and Eucharist for Roman Catholic patients.

Patients and their families may desire spiritual care:

When anxious about their condition.
When anticipating surgery.
After receiving bad news.
When facing difficult decisions.
When there are religious concerns or questions.
When they desire someone to pray with them.
When they wish to receive religious sacraments and do not have their own clergy.
When struggling with the meaning of illness.
When grieving over a loss (e.g. death, major changes, amputation).
When trying to sort out feelings.
When lonely or without support.
When the patient’s family and loved ones need support.
When patients are thankful for results and positive outcomes.