Chaplain services

Minneapolis VA chaplains are clinically trained in spiritual and emotional care, available to patients and their families throughout their hospital stay. Our Interfaith Chapel offers space for quiet reflection as well as regularly scheduled services.

Primary role of VA chaplains

To listen and support

• Listen to you and your family, respecting what you have been through
• Provide support to you and your family
• Support and work with you to answer tough questions
• Assist with ethical concerns
• Help honor the work you have done for your country
• Help with feelings of guilt and self-forgiveness. After leaving active duty, some people feel guilty about things they had to do during their military service. This may include things they would not have done during peacetime.

To help with decisions

• Help with decision-making
• Support difficult end-of-life decisions

To help with health care communication

• Help with advance directives. These are legal forms giving directions about your wishes for your health care. They are used if you become unable to make decisions for yourself due to a medical condition. Learn more at "Making Decisions: Advance Care Planning"
• Communicate between the care team, you and your family members
• Assist with discharge planning and connect you with support, such as clergy members in your community

To offer spiritual care

• Perform religion-specific ceremonies or services, such as meditation, prayer, reading holy texts, observance of holy days, etc.
• Help you connect or reconnect with God or a higher power

To provide grief support

• Provide grief support. See the Whole Health handout “Coping with Grief Following a Death” for more information

Spiritual and religious services

Our chaplains help patients and family members through outpatient treatment, hospital stays and extended care. If needed, they will contact your personal clergy or spiritual care provider in the community. Our chaplains are clinical pastoral care specialists who provide religious and non-religious people with services such as:

• Bereavement (grief and loss) care
• Comfort and counseling
• Religious rights/sacraments

Worship services

People of all faiths and traditions are invited to attend:

• Roman Catholic Mass
  Sunday, 8:30 a.m. CT
  Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. CT
• Inter-Denominational Christian Service
  Sunday, 10:00 a.m.
  Monday through Saturday, 12:30 p.m. CT
• Muslim
  Friday, 1:00 p.m. CT Jum’ah Prayers
• Inter-Faith Service
  Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. CT
• Inter-Denominational Christian Healing Service
  First Wednesday of each month at 12:30 p.m. CT
• Catholic Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
  Celebrated at the 11:30 a.m. CT Mass as announced

Benefits

Research shows that spiritually active patients experience or report:

• Faster healing
• Greater coping skills
• Reduced pain
• Better quality of life

Contact a chaplain

For more information, please call our chaplain, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT, at 612-725-2027, ext. 31-2027.

Interfaith Chapel

Minneapolis VA Medical Center
First floor, Flag Atrium, 1S-125
Map of Minneapolis campus
Hours:  24/7