Pastoral Care the Chicago Study *

Abstract

Catholic health care has, as one of its essential components, the spiritual or pastoral aspects of the care of sick patients. In an effort to assess this aspect of care, the Catholic Physicians' Guild of Chicago sent a questionnaire to the pastoral-care directors of the twenty-one Catholic hospitals in the Archdiocese of Chicago. This questionnaire addressed various topics, such as 1) Catholic identity, 2) Mass, 3) Sacraments, 4) ethics, and 5) natural family planning. In general, the responses indicated that the Chicago archdiocesan hospitals demonstrated strong pastoral-care programs. Health-care counseling appears to be gaining prominence. It is recommended that the sacramental ministry aspect of Catholic care—Mass, the Eucharist, reconciliation, and the anointing of the sick—be reinforced and emphasized.

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