Call the Chaplain: Spiritual and Pastoral Caregiving in Hospitals

Hospital chaplaincy is not a job for the faint-hearted. Every day, chaplains journey to the heights and depths of human experience, often in brief and transient encounters. Weakness and vulnerability lay bare the realities of life and there may be need for reconciliation as well as healing. Family members, friends and sometimes staff too, are often as much in need of support, or of somewhere to vent their fear, anger or sorrow. The stories in this book movingly reveal the highs and lows of Kate McClelland's experiences of working in a busy teaching hospital in a large and diverse city. A warm-hearted and often emotional account, these stories reflect moments of love, loss, hope, joy, grace and forgiveness, and raise important questions about dignity, freedom and choice.