Pastoral Care/Chaplains' Office
 Coordinator of Pastoral Care: 617-243-6634
Catholic Chaplain: 617-243-6634
Jewish Chaplain: 617-243-6827
Protestant Chaplain: 617-243-6656
Massachusetts Health Care Proxy/Planning in Advance for your Health Care (English and Spanish Versions)
Our Location
The Chaplains’ Office is located on the second floor of the main hospital building beside the Interfaith Prayer Room.
Availability
Chaplains are on call 24 hours a day. The on-call priest may be contacted weekdays through the Catholic Chaplain’s Office, and on evenings and weekends by calling the operator. The Protestant Chaplain and the Rabbi are on call when not in the hospital and may be contacted through the hospital operator at 617-243-6000.
What is Pastoral Care?
At Newton-Wellesley Hospital, our mission is to provide comprehensive, exemplary care. We recognize that a patient is more than just an ailing body. A patient has a heart and soul that also needs attention and care. Pastoral caregivers seek to address these spiritual and emotional needs. Pastoral care is the compassionate support offered by a professional chaplain to an individual or family whose ordinary sense of meaning, purpose and hope has been disrupted by an illness, a sudden hospitalization or a life-changing event.
The goal of pastoral care, or spiritual support, is to help the individual connect with the personal values, beliefs and resources that provide meaning and comfort during a time of stress. This spiritual support may be connected to a traditional faith or be a personal expression of hope.
 Why is Pastoral Care Important?
Studies have shown that an individual’s attitude toward an adverse event, such as an illness, can be directly affected by pastoral interventions that foster empowerment and connection with a caring community.
Who Provides Pastoral Care?
Pastoral care is provided by chaplains who help patients and families of all faith traditions explore spiritual questions and concerns that may arise during hospitalization. In addition to providing comfort and support, the chaplains attend to the religious needs of patients and their families by providing: prayer; pastoral visitation; Christian sacraments, rites and rituals; Jewish prayer books and Kosher meals; scripture from all major faith traditions; and referrals to local clergy.
When Would I Call for a Chaplain?
- Feelings of loneliness and fear
- Preoperative anxiety
- End–of–life decision making
- Pastoral counseling needs
- Birth of a baby
- Caregiver’s burnout
- Bereavement concerns
|
Patients and Visitors 
