EXPLORING OUR SPIRITUAL HEARTS

Friends, have you ever wondered how chaplains advance their skills?

I’m thrilled to be able to offer you an inside look, courtesy of Chaplain John Florian, who leads monthly meetings for hospice chaplains at OhioHealth Hospice. Chaplain John is using my book, Soul Support: Spiritual Encounters at Life’s End, as reading material for those meetings. With his gracious permission, I’ll be posting a series of excerpts of the discussion questions he has used in conjunction with the book.

“I have always hoped that our team meetings could be more focused on story-sharing, and our preliminary discussions focused on your book have caused our meetings to be more story-centered, and therefore more heart-centered. I thought you'd like to know the impact your book has made on us hospice chaplains here in Ohio!” - John Florian, Chaplain, Ohio-Health Hospice

SESSION 1

From pages 1-15 of the book Soul Support: Spiritual Encounters at Life's End by Chaplain Joan Maxwell

1. On page 10, Joan suggests there are five ways people are spiritual: through 1) religion, 2) a sense of soul or spirit, 3) deep personal relationships, 4) nature, 5) music, art, literature, science and philosophy. Do you agree with her "five ways"? What would you add or subtract? Perhaps most importantly, how does your bias in this area affect patient care?

2. On pages 11-15, Joan describes her first experience of the divine, which was the seeding moment of her call to chaplaincy. What were your first experiences of the divine? Can you articulate that first moment when you felt called to hospice chaplaincy?

Join us as we progress through these learning prompts with Chaplain Florian and his team as they bring focus to story-centered and heart-centered discussions, and why chaplains work from the heart.

SESSION 2

Caregivers to the dying, whether hospital chaplains, psychologists, nurses and other medical professionals, clergy, friends, or family, soon learn how important it is to increase one’s own self-awareness in order to be of better service to others. Here are some helpful teachings towards that end from Chaplain John Florian, who leads monthly meetings for hospice chaplains at OhioHealth Hospice. Chaplain John is using my book, Soul Support: Spiritual Encounters at Life’s End, as reading material for those meetings. With his gracious permission, I’m posting a series of excerpts of the discussion questions he has used in conjunction with the book. What follows has been written and shared by Chaplain John (Thank you, John!):

From pages 15-27 of the book Soul Support: Spiritual Encounters at Life's End by Chaplain Joan Maxwell

1. On page 16, Joan references her copy of "Ministry with the Sick," an Episcopal prayer book with prayers and rituals she needs for her work. Do you have such a prayer book (or similar resources) that you bring with you to visits?

2. On page 17, she speaks of being "careful not to offer services (from her own tradition) to someone who would find them offensive." Do you have experiences of crossing a line and offering something from your own spiritual tradition that has not worked for your patients or families?

3. On page 19, Joan offers the prayer, "Before we begin, let us take a moment and remember that we are in the presence of God, which is always true, but especially true at a time like this. Let us open our hearts to the Creator of the Universe. Let us surround this man with our love." Do you have a standard prayer that you use at the bedside of patients that you would be willing to share?

4. On pages 21-27, Joan describes her own calling to the role of Chaplain. On page 21, she says her call was "not a thundercloud, no single event, just a series of whispers that became undeniable." And then on page 27, she is asked by a Catholic nun, Sister Helen, "I wonder if you've ever thought about becoming a chaplain?" What were your series of undeniable whispers that led you to this work? Who named you as chaplain?

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