This year's theme is Shared Voice.

Pastoral Care Week gives opportunities for organizations and institutions of all kinds and types to recognize the spiritual caregivers in their midst and the ministry which the caregivers provide.

For more PCW resources, including ways to celebrate, prayers, press releases, posters, merchandise, past and future themes, the history of Pastoral Care Week, and more, visit the official website at www.pastoralcareweek.org.

What did you do for Pastoral Care Week?

We are inviting our members and friends to tell us how they celebrated, promoted, or recognized Pastoral Care Week. Here are some responses:

Robert Mundle, MDiv, STM, ThM, BCC, sent us a poster he presented at Providence Care in Kingston, Ontario.

NACC Board member Jim Castello shared this letter to CHE from Judith M. Persichilli, President and Chief Executive Officer of CHE.

Monique Cerundolo sent us this note:
I work as a Chaplain at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston, MA.

One of the things organized by our department was an Open House with much food and a relaxed hour to socialize, to come and go and meet each other at our department. We also read a Blessing for Work from John O'Donohue during Med Rounds. This interfaith prayer was well received and touched many in the caring teams.

A new initiative was to distribute candy blessings to staff in all departments and offices. Each Hershey Kiss or Rolo candy came with a blessing taped to it. There were about 50-60 different blessings from different parts of the world and different faith traditions. This brought a smile to people as they read their personal blessing picked at random. Many Celtic blessings are very poetic, creational and interfaith. We found some from Native American tradition, Buddhism, Judaism, and others…Baskets of candy/blessings were given to each hospital unit and distributed throughout the hallways and offices on all floors.

Send your stories and materials to Cindy Bridges at cbridges@nacc.org.

Jim Castello also sent us the link to CHE's new video The Value of Spiritual Care: