In Memoriam: The Disenfranchised Grief of Chaplains and the Recovery of Memory

Abstract

The article explores the disenfranchised grief of the chaplain from the perspective of the author's own experience in hospice chaplaincy. Borrowing from the works of Kenneth J. Doka on disenfranchised grief, Robert C. Dykstra on crisis ministry, and James Dittes on grief work in ministry, this article focuses on the grief work of chaplains. In doing so, it analyzes the theological perspective of remembrance, explaining how personal remembrances connect the chaplain with his or her own repressed grief in a way that communal events can not accomplish because of the chaplain's responsibility for the grief of the community in these settings. From the perspective of the Christian faith in its sacramental connections with the Lord's Supper, the spiritual practice of honoring the deceased and praying for their guidance is posed as a possible model of healing remembrance.