Chaplaincy Innovation Lab

While the field of spiritual care in the US is better and better  understand by Americans as time goes by, most American chaplains and  researchers are unfamiliar with the state of spiritual care in global  chaplaincy.

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab and the International Center for Chinese Buddhist Culture and Education held a panel discussion on the history and current state of global  chaplaincy as seen by experts from several places outside the United  States. This webinar helps chaplains in all sectors better understand  the international aspect of chaplaincy and, as a result, better serve  those not from the United States.

Sponsored by the Fetzer Institute,  this spiritual care lecture series treats the historical development  and current work of African Americans and spiritual care in the US. The  series is part of a pilot project to support and build networks for  spiritual care providers of color and will focus on the expertise,  compassion, and care African American chaplains bring to their work;  their experiences as people of color in this work; and opportunities for  everyone to unite in action around disparities in access to spiritual  care. Session 1 features a discussion on how conversation circles can be  used to support, network, and draw together chaplains of color to  promote professional wellness and mutual uplift. This session also  officially launched the eBook Conversation Circles.

We are joined by:

Dr. Su Yon Pak, Senior Director and Associate Professor of Integrative and Field-based  Education at Union Theological Seminary. In this hybrid  faculty-administrator position, she envisions, creates and oversees the  curricular and co-curricular work of the Office of Integrative Education  including field education, clinical pastoral education, life-long  learning, ministerial formation, and combined courses inside Bedford  Hills Correctional Facility. Prior to her current position, she was the  Vice President for Institutional Advancement; and the Associate Dean for  Student Life/ Director of Recruitment at Union.

Rev. Kirstin Boswell, University Chaplain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement at Elon  University. Prior to her work at Elon, Rev. Boswell was Associate Dean  of Student Support Services at Brown University. Her former roles have  included serving as Chaplain to the Institute and Director of the Office  of Religious Life at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and  theProtestant Chaplain at both Brown University and Bentley University  and the Director of Operations for The International Association of  Black Religions and Spiritualities at the University of Chicago.

The Field Guide series is intended to offer a basic introduction to the  profession of chaplaincy, from education and training through to  practice. Each session includes an in-depth conversation with spiritual  care practitioners on topics of key importance to those considering  careers in chaplaincy; there are also opportunities for small-group  discussion afterward (not recorded).

In this Introduction to Spiritual Care, we are joined by:

Beba Tata, MDiv, BCC, Chaplain, Mayo Clinic; Jason Callahan, MDiv, BCC, Palliative Chaplain, VCU Health; Wendy Cadge, PhD, Director, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab; Michael Skaggs, PhD, Director of Programs, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab.

Su Yon Pak (Union Theological Seminary) and Mychal Springer (New York-Presbyterian Hospital) discuss their new edited volume “Sisters in Mourning.”

Caring for their mothers at the end of their lives and grieving for them after their deaths brought them together. Seven women from diverse racial, cultural, and religious traditions with differing sexual orientations and life experiences became seven “sisters in mourning,” meeting to share their grief and to remember together–not only their mothers but themselves as daughters.

This book is a rich compilation of narratives that emerged through vulnerable conversations–a spiritual, emotional, and existential exploration of the complexities of caring and grieving.

As their grief transformed over time, and their friendship deepened, their understanding of who their mothers were and the nuances of their relationships with them continued to evolve.

Sisters in Mourning invites readers to a journey of healing and insight.

Although chaplains are quite familiar with using technology, the competencies of providing telechaplaincy are not so evident. This webinar is not intended to cover all of the competencies of telechaplaincy, but to inform you of how to assess your competency and to provide you a broad overview of the competencies of telechaplaincy.

While the legal aspects of telechaplaincy covered here will be most applicable to healthcare chaplains, all chaplains providing distant care will benefit from this webinar.

How can chaplains support faculty and staff in higher education, especially to build resilience in the face of public health crises? Chaplaincy Innovation Lab Director of Programs Michael Skaggs speaks with Cynthia Cheshire, campus minister to Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire, about her project and how she answers this question. They focus especially on restorative circle practices and communal  acknowledgements of COVID-19 losses.   

This webinar will be of particular interest to higher education  chaplains, but also all chaplains concerned for staff in their  institutions.

Join Jesse Palidofsky for music and reflection, crafted especially for chaplains.

Azalea City Recordings artist Jesse Palidofsky has been performing his original songs in folk venues, coffeehouses, and festivals for decades. "I Am An Immigrant" reached #1 on the International Folk Radio charts and "Dancing Toward the Light " was the #5 CD . Jesse’s updated “America the Beautiful: 2020” with Bluegrass vocalist Claire Lynch and Blues singer Lea Gilmore has 65,000 hits on YouTube. He is the recipient of numerous songwriting awards.

Jesse’s appearances include: National Theatre, Hugh’s Room (Toronto), Sloop Clearwater “Pumpkin Sail”, Common Ground on the Hill Roots Music & Arts Festival, FOCUS Music, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Institute of Musical Traditions, Association of Professional Chaplains Annual Conference, Washington Folk Festival, Friends General Conference, Common Ground on the Border, Takoma Park Folk Festival, Pastoral Care Network for Social Responsibility, Tikkun Magazine, Club Sandwich, Folkal Point Coffeehouse.

Learn more at JessePal.net.

Join the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab and the Albert & Jessie Danielsen  Institute at Boston University for a discussion on how facilitated  support groups can help build chaplain resilience, both in response to  COVID-19 and other facts. We discuss broad themes of what chaplains find  challenging, why the support group model is beneficial, and why the  profession should consider implementing the model more broadly. The  webinar will be of special interest to spiritual care managers and  educators, both of whom are positioned to educate and lead chaplains who  will face difficult conditions over the course of their professional  lives.    

We're joined by leadership from the Danielsen Institute:  

Miriam Bronstein, LICSW, Director of Clinical Services 

Laura Captari, MA, MS, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate 

George Stavros, Executive Director   

Learn more about this project at  https://chaplaincyinnovation.org/projects/resilience-frontline-spiritual-providers.   

Learn more about the Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute here: https://www.bu.edu/danielsen/.

Miguel de la Torre, Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Iliff School of Theology, joins Michael Skaggs to discuss his notion of “hopelessness” and how it can drive meaningful change

Koshin Paley Ellison, founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, joins Michael Skaggs to discuss what it means to do chaplaincy from within Buddhism.