chaplain

Why ‘chaplain’?The word chaplain comes from the Latin word for cloak; the word grew out of the story of St Martin meeting a man without a cloak, begging in the rain. If St Martin had met the man's need by giving him his own cloak, he would have shifted the problem to himself. Instead he tore his own cloak in two and shared it, half for the beggar and half for himself. It was, therefore, recognized that a chaplain is someone who shares support with those in the storms of life and offers some spiritual help and direction in those difficult times.As hospitals grew from hospices (places where travelers could find hospitality, Christian love and medical care, on their journey), so it is appropriate that hospitals have their own chaplains who can continue within that tradition of offering care and support to those in difficult times.