Pastoral Care
Our Mission
Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care, which sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities. We are advocates for a compassionate and just society through our actions and our words.
Being in the Hospital
Going to the hospital can often cause one concern as well as disrupt normal activities of your life. Some people are often able to use their thoughts, feelings, beliefs and relationships as resources for coping and healing, and can even grow spiritually stronger through the experience. However, most people could use extra spiritual and emotional support to assist them through this event in their lives. It is common for patients to feel anxious, fearful, powerless, loss of control, and distant from their loved ones or their God. It can often be a time when one‘s spiritual beliefs intersect with the reality of their lives and one may often experience spiritual distress in the midst of their illness.
Chaplains
St.Vincent facilities offer trained, professional chaplains in this specialized setting to assist and support you with your spiritual and emotional needs. While here, one of our staff chaplains, CPE students or pastoral care volunteers may greet you and offer their ongoing spiritual support. The chaplain who greets you works for the hospital and is certified by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains or the Association of Professional Chaplains or is in the process of becoming certified. Each one has received many hours of specialized ministerial education through Clinical Pastoral Education and is endorsed by a well-established faith group. The staff chaplain and CPE student are members of your health care team. Each of our pastoral care volunteers has also been appropriately screened, trained and approved by the leadership of the Pastoral Care Department.
If you want your own minister or a visitor from your faith community to support you while you’re here, the registrar or a chaplain will ask your permission to notify the leader of your faith group and inform them of your hospitalization. At each of our hospitals the Pastoral Care Department strives to work cooperatively with local clergy or their representative to honor the patient’s cultural, spiritual and/or religious beliefs and practices.
Spiritual Care Resources for Patients
Area Clergy
The Pastoral Care Department strives to work cooperatively with local clergy or their representative to honor the patient’s cultural, spiritual and/or religious beliefs and practices. When a patient gives consent, we will be glad to notify you of their admission. When visiting a member of your congregation, stop at the Information Desk in the main lobby for the patient’s room number or call the hospital operator at (317) 338-2345. General visiting hours are from 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; however, clergy are able to visit patients outside this time frame when necessary. In general, due to patient needs, morning is usually not a convenient time to visit. When meeting with family members, it may be helpful to call ahead to ensure that they are present. Some patients require additional precautions to prevent infections. If there is a sign on a patient's door indicating "isolation precautions," please check with a nurse before entering to request appropriate procedures. Patients may require additional rest while in the hospital, so please adjust your visits accordingly.
Hospital Staff Chaplains
Because we know that meeting patients’ spiritual and emotional needs is part of their healing process, St.Vincent facilities offer trained, professional chaplains in this specialized setting to assist and support them with their spiritual and emotional needs.
To request a chaplain: From outside the hospital you may call (317) 338-2345 and ask the hospital operator to connect you with a chaplain. Within the hospital, any St.Vincent associate wearing a name badge will page a chaplain at your request, or you may dial “0” on a hospital phone to request a chaplain through the operator.
Additional Resources
In addition to having trained and certified staff chaplains, we offer an abundance of other spiritual resources. Each of our patient rooms is private and has an interactive TV which enables you to request a Bible for your spiritual needs and enjoy spiritual programming.
- Our Chapel Channel (Ch. 2)
- Daily Mass from the chapel
- Spiritual videos for your enrichment
- Skylight Access System
- Recitation of The Rosary
- Short devotionals that we call The Third Dove, written by our own chaplains
- Music
- Prayers
- And much more
- Chapels
- Entrance #1 (Main hospital): The chapel faces “Outpatient Surgery Pavilion A” and the stairway down to the cafeteria.
- Mass is celebrated at the main hospital chapel daily: 8 a.m. Monday – Friday; 7:45 p.m. Saturday; and 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
- Entrance #4 (Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital): A meditation room is located to the left of the Information Desk.
- Entrance #7 (St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, 86th St.): A small chapel is to the right of the large tapestry in the waiting area.
- Entrance #8 (St.Vincent Orthopedic and Spine Center): A small chapel is to the right of the Information Desk and registration booths.
- Morning and Evening Overhead Prayer
Pastoral Care Office
We are located on the basement level of the Orthopedic and Spine Center (Entrance #8). Our phone number is (317) 338-2238 and our normal office hours are 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Pastoral Care Training
We offer Stephen Ministry training and Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) for persons wanting to learn or enhance their spiritual care-giving skills. Call our office for information about either of these programs and how to apply for each, or visit the St.Vincent CPE web page to learn about it specifically.