In this segment, we hear the stories of two contemporary hospital social workers as they describe encounters with patients who are looking for a way to explore important life questions that can arise in times of challenge.

We visit a shelter at Seattle’s Mission for a rich exchange with a formerly homeless man who feels the spiritual care he received from mental health workers helped him develop the ability to transition into housing.

Joel Bauman, MD, a geriatrician now working in a hospice, describes ways that physicians are called to provide compassionate support and sometimes spiritual care of dying patients.

We hear from remarkable hospice professionals who accompany — and learn from — people in their their final chapter of life.

We profile a military chaplain who served in Afghanistan and who has been absorbed by questions of war and peace. He ultimately resigned from his role as an army chaplain over American drone policy.

We hear from Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) campus chaplains and students, representing different traditions, on the challenge of fostering interfaith understanding in a complicated and diverse world.

David Freudberg, host of Humankind public radio, announces a new podcast on the fascinating practice of “spiritual care”: stories of caregivers (chaplains, nurses, social workers, etc.) who provide nonsectarian support for people in need and sometimes in distress.