Last year's General Assembly formally commended chaplains for their work and ministry. As recommended by the department of Ministry and Church Vocations, along with the Committee on Church Doctrine, the assembly agreed that ordination is not just for ministers heading off to a congregation, but to those who consider their pulpit to be in both Christian and secular institutions across Canada.
The decision – while in essence simply articulating what had already been in practice – was a boost for chaplains, who sometimes feel as though their ministry isn't considered as important as traditional congregational ministry.
“When I went to seminary, being a Canadian Forces chaplain wasn't on the radar,” said Col. David Kettle, the recently announced Chaplain General of the Canadian Armed Forces.” No one talked about it. Real ministry meant congregational ministry, but there are other ministries as well.”
According to Kettle it was “a coup” for chaplains when Rev. Jean Morris was elected moderator of the General Assembly four years ago. Her day job as a chaplain to seniors helped draw the church's attention to non-congregational ministries.” She really opened it up for us,” he said.
The recommendation at General Assembly was a response to several overtures asking for clarification on the church's theology of ordination, and for guidelines to presbyteries on whether or not it was okay to ordain a ministerial candidate who was not being called to a Presbyterian congregation. The task force working on the issue decided that yes, ordaining ministers as chaplain – even if in a secular institution – is appropriate and in accordance with the church's views on what ordination and ministry are all about. Presbyteries are required to ensure the position requires full ordination, and that there are no restrictions placed on the minister by the employer to fully exercise his or her Reformed faith. The call of a Presbyterian to a chaplaincy – especially outside the denomination – is viewed as a call to the entire church, rather than that of a single charge as in traditional congregational ministry.
“The Presbyterian Church in Canada continues to affirm that ministries of institutional chaplaincy are valid and valuable contexts in which its ordained ministers may serve,” said Susan Shaffer, associate secretary of Ministry and Church Vocations.” Through such positions, our ministers carry out their pastoral, teaching roles in public and often secular workplaces, at the same time providing a wider Presbyterian presence, service and witness.”
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Rev. Dan West is currently the minister at Runnymede, Toronto. Prior to this, however, he was an emergency room chaplain at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He said his stint at Sunnybrook not only provided him with experiences he will “never, ever forget,” it also strengthened his faith and influenced his practice as a minister.” The position of chaplain is not to tell you where you should go or end up, but to ask you to let me walk beside you,” said West.” You're more of a companion than a leader, and as a spiritual companion, you enter as the student. You're asking the person to teach you what it is like to be them today, and what their needs are.”
West said this approach has changed the way he ministers to his congregation. He has taken the idea of “not having all the answers and being okay with that,” and applied it to church life.
“People here are asking the question, 'Why?' We're not here to answer to that, but to pay attention to the fact that the question is being asked.”
Although West is no longer on staff at the hospital, he's on contract to participate in a government program that helps initiate new soldiers preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. The halls of the hospital give them their first taste of a crisis situation, and they learn how to deal with trauma, grief and loss.
With West's jovial and laid-back nature, it's surprising he doesn't view such loss as an unbearable burden.” We spend a lot of time around death, and that's not a burden, it's a privilege,” he said, noting that for him, the most challenging situations were dealing with murder, telling parents their child had died, and being paged to the neonatal unit at midnight, knowing that a baby had passed away.” To enter into a family during this time, and to build a relationship with them, and enter into a place of intimacy and trust is one of the things I like most.
“Death is something I'm no longer afraid of. I've had people articulate to me, spiritually, mentally, physically and psychologically, what it feels like to be dying. How better do you learn than that? My perception has changed. Death is a miracle too.”
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Col. Dave Kettle is intimately familiar with the passage from this life to the next.
As a military chaplain since 1981, he has been on duty with the United Nations in Bosnia and Rwanda, and has been stationed in nearly every Canadian province. As the Chaplain General he has the final say on all postings to chaplaincies, is responsible for dealing with problems, represents Canadian chaplains on international visits, and consults with the chief of defense staff.” The buck stops with me!” as Kettle puts it. Six other Presbyterian ministers serve the regular forces as padres, and five more serve on the Canadian Forces Reserve. There are about 185 chaplains in total.
Although the new position has somewhat removed Kettle from the field, his passion for chaplaincy remains.” I just absolutely adore being a chaplain,” said Kettle over the phone, though it's easy to tell there is a smile on his face.” I'm not looking forward to retiring . . . It's a wonderful journey of faith.”
Kettle speaks of the deep camaraderie that exists among chaplains – and military chaplains in particular. Much like ministers among ministers, chaplains need someone with whom they can share their troubles.” In a congregation, in most cases, you're on your own. But in the Canadian Forces, you're always part of a team. I found it lonely as a civilian minister. I never find it lonely here.”
Working with other chaplains increasingly means being involved in interfaith and ecumenical relations – something that is not only growing in the church, but in the military as well.” I think I'm a better Presbyterian because of contact with others,” said Kettle, noting that there are now Muslim and Jewish chaplains in the forces, and that the chaplains' badge has been changed to reflect the distinct faith tradition of each chaplain.” It enables you to figure out who you are, what you value, and why you are a Presbyterian. It doesn't water down your theology, it strengthens it.”
Interfaith work is something that came up repeatedly with these chaplains, with each one noting how much they enjoyed this aspect of their work, and how crucial it is to their ministry. As a chaplain with the City of Edmonton for two years, John Dowds has contact with other faiths and denominations as a daily part of the job.
Each city council meeting begins with a moment of prayer led by various faith traditions throughout the year – something that was first instituted back in 1978.” We tell people to pray from their own faith tradition, but to be mindful and respectful of the fact that there are other faiths represented at each meeting.
“The greater understanding we have, the greater the sense of community in the city.”
After being in congregational ministry since 1985, Dowds was ready for a change. He had always been interested in chaplaincy, and had volunteered at nursing homes, Legions and at Sick Kids' hospital in Toronto. In Edmonton, he works not only with general city employees, but with firefighters and paramedics too.
“There are wide and varied ways to experience ministry with the city,” said Dowds. “There are 11,000 employees and 2,000 part-time employees, and they come from a wide variety of backgrounds … My day can go from meeting with the mayor to doing a ride-along with firefighters. No two days are the same. You get an understanding of the work people do, and you get to share in the joys with others.
“For some, this is the place where they dip their toe in the water,” he said. “They're thinking about spirituality, but don't know where to go. So they come to me to find out more.”
According to Dowds, who carries a pager and is available 24/7, his position is the only full-time, paid city chaplain position in Canada that he is aware of, and it has been a part of the city since the 1980s, when the first person appointed was Presbyterian minister Bill Graham.
Dowds tries to meet every new city employee, and also offers grief counselling, spiritual counselling, and stress management.” I get called about all kinds of things. Sometimes I have the answer, and sometimes I don't. But I assure them we'll work together to get what they need.
The PCC does not have a set of requirements that chaplains need to meet; it is up to the specific employer to set these. (For example, hospital chaplains must become certified by CAPPE, the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education, which in turns requires the endorsement of the person's church. Military chaplains need practical experience in a congregation, and must complete a rigorous testing, interview and initiation program created by and carried out by the Canadian Armed Forces.) However, before a presbytery agrees on ordaining a chaplain-to-be, (as opposed to a congregational minister) permission must first be granted by the Committee on Education and Reception, which reviews credentials of individuals entering Presbyterian ministry by non-standard pathways. And chaplains don't have to be ordained; if the employer allows it, they can be laypersons as well.
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Tom Brownlee is a prison and corrections chaplain in Calgary. He shares his time between the Calgary Correctional Centre and the Remand Centre. For Brownlee, who used to be a congregational minister, his work as a chaplain highlights the reality of life's numerous and varied challenges.
“When you're a chaplain in prison, things seem more real; people's problems are right there. Whereas people in congregations have problems, but they often keep them private for years. I get more from the inmates than I give sometimes,” said Brownlee, who attends Knox, Calgary.” They engage me. I enjoy it. It gives me energy, especially at the remand centre. Everyone there is in a state of flux.”
Brownlee visits both centres daily, picking up requests from inmates who simply want to talk, or need prayer, want a Bible or to join a Bible study. He is also a chaplain to the staff, interacts with volunteers, conducts funerals, and ministers to inmates whose relatives have died, and works with the Roman Catholic chaplain who is also on staff.
“People see the ugly side of things and think, 'Oh gosh. Tom's dealing with that?'” said Brownlee, referring to the common reaction he gets when people find out he ministers to criminals.” I'm also part of a visitation program at Bowden Institution, and there's a lifer there who I sit down and talk with. He has the same hopes and dreams as anyone else.
“Yes, I see the person who took a life, and I see someone who pushed a person in front of a train. I see them, I talk to them, I hear about their lives. And yes, they become human. Those who are admitting to what they did, and are sorry for it and want to make amends somehow, I see the humanity there.”
Listening to hard-knock stories and confessions of apology, guilt, and grief can take its toll, and Brownlee has a strong circle of support to help him debrief and unwind.” It is hard. There are times when I get upset, like when I meet a serial rapist. But the upsetting times are few and far between.
“The joys are when I hear people talking about wanting to make a difference,” continued Brownlee, his passion for his work increasingly evident in his voice.” And just the conversations we have, especially around faith. I get to see where they're going. At the remand centre, there's a roll of toilet paper in the interview room for the tears.”
Brownlee sees his work as an extension of what Jesus called the Church to do.” We're dealing with poor people, drug addicts, those with fetal alcohol syndrome, depression, learning disabilities, schizophrenia, and victims of sexual, mental, and physical abuse. These people are disenfranchised. And there are hundreds of passages in the Bible of God's concern for the disenfranchised.”
Though university students generally aren't facing the kinds of problems that Brownlee deals with, life on campus – particularly at a huge one like the University of Toronto – can be lonely and isolating for students. Add to that the fact that many students are going through life changes and questioning who they are, and it's easy to see how chaplains can play a vital role on campus.
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Rev. Ralph Wushke divides his time between chaplaincy at U of T and ministering at Bathurst United, Toronto.
His desire to be chaplain was a direct result of his own university experience.” University chaplains were key in my religious and church life, and were formative in my social life,” said Wushke, who became a chaplain in 2004.” Student Christian communities were everything that mattered to me in my student years.”
Many of the programs on campus led by Wushke and his chaplaincy partner Jeanette Unger focus on ecumenism and interfaith exploration. An interfaith discussion group held last year attracted Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and agnostics. By the end, a place of community existed for the students who attended.” One of the young evangelical students commented that it was great to have a place to come in the face of the animosity towards religion that is found on campus,” said Wushke.” She was feeling so pressured because of her faith, so to find a place where her faith could be honoured, even in a multi-faith group, was wonderful for her.”
Although Wushke and Unger are not Presbyterian, the chaplaincy office is based at Knox College, and the pair attends presbytery meetings to keep the church appraised of their ministry. The creation of the Ecumenical Chaplaincy at U of T was spurred on by a Presbyterian, in fact, thanks to then-chaplain Karen Bach (now executive director of the Evergreen Centre for Street Youth in downtown Toronto). The chaplaincy is still supported by Canada Ministries, which gives grants of $41,400 each year to 13 different university chaplaincies.
Rev. Dr. Art Van Seters, principal of Knox College between 1993 and 1999, spoke at a ceremony recognizing Bach's contribution to the chaplaincy back in May.” Some might regard university chaplaincy as an oxymoron,” said Van Seters, “but my own sense is that university is a place where deep issues are discussed, and that chaplaincy seems to be exactly what a university needs.”
He listed three things that it takes to be a university chaplain: extraordinary sensitivity; being deeply grounded in one's own spiritual tradition, but incredibly open to other traditions; and the ability to “give one's self to true engagement with people and with the university, which will allow a deep wrestling with the spirit that is so important to us as human beings.”
Back at Sunnybrook hospital, the interview with Dan West and Pam McCarroll, head of pastoral care at Sunnybrook and professor of pastoral care at Knox College this fall, is wrapping up. As they do, McCarroll speaks of the joys of her work.
“The greatest joy of being a chaplain is just bearing witness to the sanctity and presence of God in our lives,” she said.” There's something about looking into the face of tragedy; there's something so elemental there. It has to do with being creatures of God.”
