Reframing Forgiveness
A Q&A with Matthew Ichihashi Potts on his latest book, Forgiveness: An Alternative Account. By Suzie Greco
Category: Ministry/Chaplaincy
When Brokenness Opens the Door to Healing
As a college chaplain adapts Yoga and Vedanta teachings to the everyday circumstances his students face, he discovers his own theology of grace. By Vineet Chander
Campus Chaplains Hold the Center When Things Fall Apart
In ordinary and extraordinary moments, college chaplains serve as ethical guides and exegetes of lived experience. By Celene Ibrahim, Elizabeth H. Aeschlimann, and Nancy Fuchs Kreimer
Sacred Stories Inspire Public Responsibility
An initiative exploring the role religion plays in the lives of resettled refugees deepens the author’s understanding of engaged chaplaincy. By Matthew Weiner
The Man in the Tree
A psychiatric chaplain dwells in the silences that follow difficult questions, responding to Chris Berlin’s “A Jewel in the Lotus.” By Duncan Gasson-Gardner
‘Chaplain, Can You Do an Exorcism?’
To accompany people struggling with command auditory hallucinations, the author uses a metaphorical approach and works within each patient’s own religious framework. By Jeremy D. Sher
Chanting through the Spring Surge
An interview with Sarah Byrne-Martelli, a chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital, on the quiet camaraderie and unnamed grief among hospital staff during the pandemic. By Wendy McDowell
A Minister Cultivates Abiding
The current pandemic provides a context to learn what it means to bear witness while impotent to reverse human suffering. By Emily Click
People as Sacred Texts: Chaplaincy in the Margins
A hospital chaplain contemplates the First Noble Truth in response to Chris Berlin’s “A Jewel in the Lotus.” By Rebecca Doverspike
Doing by Not-Knowing
A hospital chaplain reflects on the wonder and intimacy of not-knowing, responding to Chris Berlin’s “A Jewel in the Lotus.” By Jill R. Gaulding
Can a Buddhist Monk Become a Chaplain?
A Buddhist monastic reflects on his chaplaincy training through the lens of Theravada Buddhism, responding to Chris Berlin’s “A Jewel in the Lotus.” By Bhante Kusala
Chaplaincy as ‘Tragic Improv’
Erica Rose Long describes the honest conversations about race taking place at Massachusetts General Hospital and discusses the unique challenges and joys of chaplaincy. By Wendy McDowell
We Are All Called to Be ‘Heroes’
Rethinking our practice of calling essential workers “heroes” in light of the debate over Dorothy Day’s canonization. By Elam D. Jones.
A Jewel in the Lotus
The Buddha’s life, teachings, and response to human suffering inform practices of spiritual care in the hospital, and also in the classroom. By Chris Berlin
Practical and Spiritual Resources for Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care
A selected reading list from HDS faculty and chaplains offers resources for chaplaincy and pastoral care.
The Urgency of Now
Excerpts from the introduction and four essays in One Nation, Indivisible exemplify that “in order to build together, govern together, live together, we must make the effort to know one another.” By Celene Ibrahim, Taymullah Abdur-Rahman, Matthew Blair Holt, Lauren Seganos Cohen, and Nora Zaki
Making Belief in the Singapore Army
Ritual spaces and objects in a Singapore Army camp give voice to a deeper hunger. By Theophilus Kwek
The Politics of Preaching
To tell a congregation the truth, to condemn our world while admitting that we cannot see our way clear of it, is a political and prophetic act. By Matthew L. Potts
Practicing Entanglement
The work of justice cannot succeed without deep, authentic relationships. By Elizabeth Aeschlimann
‘Sick, and You Visited Me’
Visiting the sick helps to combat the loss of identity they experience in the hospital. By Donald W. Shriver
