Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro Celebrates Pastoral Care Week
October 22, 2012
Organizations and institutions throughout the world will recognize the spiritual care given through professional chaplaincy and pastoral counseling within our communities October 21 through 27. Chaplains, pastoral care counselors, educators and care providers will share in this year’s theme, “Giving Voice” joining together to empower, express and educate!
Regardless of faith tradition, whether clergy or not, Pastoral Care Week celebrates those who provide spiritual counseling to others. It is endorsed by the Congress on Ministries in Specialized Settings (COMISS), whose members provide care in places such as hospitals, prisons, businesses, industries, long-term care facilities, pastoral counseling centers, hospices, military settings, nursing homes, corporations, congregations of sisters, priests, schools and universities throughout the world.
This year’s theme, “Giving Voice” highlights the journey of finding unity in the midst of our diversity, empowering the voice of those with whom we work and claiming our own voice as pastoral and spiritual caregivers. The narrative shares that “Giving voice is like a drop of rain that nurtures the earth, quenching thirst and giving new birth to a voice that has been silenced. We listen to what is within; to the diversity of voices we hear and assist in the weaving of voices in the teams we serve.”
Many institutions will celebrate Pastoral Care Week by honoring the vital, often unrecognized, work and gifts of pastoral and spiritual care givers locally and internationally. Among the variety of celebrations will be hand-blessing ceremonies for health workers, open houses, lecture series and luncheons.
HPCG, a nonprofit organization serving Greater Greensboro for more than 30 years, is situated on an eight-acre campus at 2500 Summit Avenue. HPCG provides physical, emotional and spiritual support for children and adults faced with a life-limiting illness, as well as their caregivers and families. For more information, contact HPCG at 336.621.2500 or hospicegso.org.
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