Working Outside the Faith in Hospitals

 


Jim Purcell is a Protestant Seminary Student preparing to be a Hospital Chaplain. He has had to learn to coordinate with Catholic Priests for patients in the hospital. Below is his take on working with other faiths in a hospital setting.

"Roman-Catholic clergy occupies a unique place in the hearts and belief structures of Catholics. In the hospital, a place of great vulnerability and even fear, the Catholic priest is a necessary So, in the case of Protestant chaplains and their patients, there is going to be a regular need for contact with Catholic clergy in order to facilitate important Liturgical rites, most especially Last Rites.

"Frequently, where it involves Protestant chaplains, there are abilities for, as an example, Baptist clergy to fulfill the needs and expectations of Presbyterian or Methodist, among others, hospital inpatients. Religiously and theologically, the common experience of faiths are not that far apart. There is a disparity between mainline Protestants and Pentecostals and/or Evangelicals, which may or may not be overcome by interaction with the patient and their family.

"The important thing, here, is the comfort and adaptability of the chaplain. There are just going to be times when chaplains have to work interdenominationally."

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