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from the desk of
The Rev. Dr. Walter J. Smith, S.J.
President & CEO |
December 2008
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Dear PlainViews Reader:
It is difficult for me to write in the midst of possibly the largest global financial crisis of its kind to ask for your charitable support. At the same time, I recall what Walt Disney once said: “It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true.” The work of HealthCare Chaplaincy and PlainViews goes far beyond fulfilling dreams. Like you, we touch people’s lives during vulnerable moments and in ways that make a real difference. And for the past few years through PlainViews, we have been promoting a broad conversation among professional chaplains about our profession and practice. Put simply, I must ask you to consider making a modest gift at this time.
I hope that you are benefitting from increased insight and knowledge about our profession and your colleagues through the articles and commentaries being generated from within the professional community and that are available to you twice monthly through our free online e-newsletter, PlainViews.
PlainViews is a bridge that brings together chaplains, supervisors, and pastoral counselors from across our globe. Through PlainViews, small, rural departments are connected with those in large, urban medical centers; mental health chaplains are joined with hospice chaplains; and chaplain residents have the opportunity to reach out to experienced supervisors in a variety of settings. In short, PlainViews has created a global community and serves as a voice for the profession of chaplaincy.
Happily, public awareness of the importance of chaplains and pastoral care is growing. On October 29thThe New York Times carried a front page article about the increasing need for chaplains and their place in the overall care continuum. The Rev. George Handzo, HealthCare Chaplaincy’s vice-president for Pastoral Care Leadership and Practice was quoted, as were two of our alumni, the Rev. Kei Okada and the Rev. Hajime Issan Koyama. The Times article cited a study recently released by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control that reports the proportion of patients nationwide accepting a chaplain’s care at 72 percent in one sampling versus 59 percent from another comparison group surveyed in 2000.
Won’t you please consider making a contribution in support of our work and PlainViews? Please be as generous as you can, but know that no gift is too small. All support is appreciated. (Click here to contribute.)
I am including below, in electronic format, HealthCare Chaplaincy’s new prayer card, which our chaplains leave behind with hospitalized patients. You may have occasion to forward it to someone who is coping with an illness or disability. May it bring them peace and comfort.
Thank you very much for your interest in PlainViews and HealthCare Chaplaincy. In these difficult economic times, your support is appreciated more than ever.
With my gratitude and prayerful best wishes for a promising new year,
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