When to Ask for a Chaplain
There are many circumstances under which patients, their loved ones and visitors, and Holy Name staff members can benefit from spiritual guidance and support. Please do not hesitate to contact Pastoral Care by calling 201-833-3243 for these or other reasons:
- When a patient needs to receive communion or a blessing
- When a patient needs a priest or a chaplain
- When a family has a baby and would like a blessing
- When patients are thankful, joyful, and peaceful and want someone to share those feelings with
- When patients need spiritual and emotional support or encouragement
- When patients need someone to pray with or bless them during illness or before surgery
- When patients are struggling with spiritual issues
- When patients are wrestling with questions of meaning related to illness or diagnosis
- When patients are dealing with existential questions about purpose, life or death
- When patients are dealing with anger, anxiety, fear and frustration during illness and need someone to talk to
- When patients receive bad news related to illness or loved ones, and need spiritual support
- When patients are feeling lonely, isolated and abandoned, and need company
- When patients request a religious ritual, prayer or sacrament specific to their faith tradition
- When patients need ministers of their faith community, church, synagogue, mosque, or religion, such as a priest, a minister, a pastor, a rabbi or an imam
- When patients have religious or ethical concerns about their illnesses
- When patients need assistance in maintaining or observing their religious traditions or rituals
- When patients have religious concerns regarding food or diet
- When patients need spiritual books, literatures, rosaries or faith specific resources related to their tradition
- When patients are experiencing spiritual or emotional trauma, crisis, and loss
- When patients feel like giving up or when they are struggling with death and end-of-life issues
- When a family has lost a loved one
- When a family needs a priest at the loss of a loved one
- When patients are grieving the loss of a loved one or when a family have lost a loved one
- When a family is struggling with grief and loss
- When a family needs spiritual and emotional support
- When a patient or a family is faced with end-of-life decision-making
- When a staff member needs information on a patient's religion or tradition
- When a staff member is experiencing burnout and needs someone to talk to
- When a staff member needs spiritual and emotional support after a challenging experience
- When a staff member has religious or ethical concerns related to their work
- When a staff member loses a loved one or a colleague and needs spiritual or religious support
- When a staff member needs prayer, faith or religious resources
- When a department is celebrating its hospital observance week and requests prayers, a Mass or spiritual support
- When department members would like their work area blessed
