Priest Chaplain

Job Posting

The Priest Chaplain is an ordained Roman Catholic priest granted faculties by the local Bishop. As an integral part of the Spiritual Care Services Department, ministers to the religious, spiritual, and emotional needs of patients, families, and caregivers; administers sacramental ministry to Catholic patients and their families, and provides Eucharistic Liturgy for patients, families, caregivers, and visitors.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides Catholic ritual and sacraments, including but not limited to: ensuring the appropriate and designated functioning of the chapel and sacred space for liturgy, worship, service, ceremony, and celebration.
• Celebrates Mass in the hospital chapel as directed or arranges for other clergy to provide mass/services if unable to do so. In cooperation with the members of the Spiritual Care team, provides paraliturgical services including blessings, prayer services, and seasonal celebrations.
• Prepares homilies based on Lectionary readings and is mindful of the needs of patients, families, and caregivers (i.e. utilize Ordo, abide by local Archdiocesan liturgical guidelines and calendar.)
• Works with volunteers to provide the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
• Administers the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick in the hospital and documents in the patient's chart.
• Responds to needs of patients, families, caregivers, and visitors for Sacrament of Reconciliation (upon request).
• Fosters Catholic spirituality opportunities for caregivers, (e.g., spirituality, rituals, advance directives) as needed.
• As appropriate to the care-site, and as may be necessary in Canon Law, maintains Sacramental Registry for baptisms and for any other sacraments validly celebrated on the hospital campus, such as confirmation in danger of death, first Eucharist, and marriage.
• Tracks and records data of sacraments provided on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, annually).
• Develops, implements, and documents spiritual assessment, interventions, and outcomes and participates as a member of interdisciplinary teams to provide whole person care.
• Participates in multidisciplinary patient rounds, care conferences, ethics consultations, and ethics triage call as directed by care site.
• Responds to crisis situations (e.g. resuscitations, trauma, rapid response, death, BEST and Security alerts, etc.) to provide spiritual care and support, including pager coverage to meet the required hours of the care-site.
• Responds to referrals to visit patients and/or their families from all and no religious background, and initiates pastoral visits, as appropriate.
• Explicit knowledge of and support for the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services (6th ed, USCCB), and educates care-site patients, families, caregivers, and visitors as applicable.
• Supports ongoing partnerships with community clergy by developing and maintaining relationships with leaders of Catholic and other spiritual communities.
• Upholds and extends care through the lens of our Core Commitments: Promote and Defend Human Dignity, Attend to the Whole Person, Care for the Poor and Vulnerable, Promote the Common Good, Steward Resources, Act on Behalf of Justice, and Serve as a Ministry of the Church.
• Works as a collaborative member of the Spiritual Care department:
• Attends and participates in the Spiritual Care department meetings.
• Promotes mission, vision, and values of Intermountain Health.
• Assists with the development of the department's plan for continuous quality improvement and strategy deployment model.
• Adjusts schedule and participates in on-call responsibilities as needed to ensure spiritual care is available to patients, families, and caregivers.
• Actively promotes an atmosphere of teamwork, collaboration, and collegiality within the department and across disciplines.
• Maintains established departmental and hospital policies, procedures, and objectives.
• Participates in hospital wide committees.
• May lead specific committee projects and initiatives.
• Appropriate and professional documentation in the electronic medical record and other departmental, site or system-based data tracking.

Minimum and Preferred Qualifications:

Education:

• Required: Masters Degree in Divinity, Theology, or related field is required.
• Preferred: Four units Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) preferably accredited by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) is preferred.

Certification, Registration, License (*indicates primary source verification requirement):

• Required: Ordination to the Catholic Priesthood is required. Endorsement stating good standing with the local Diocese is required.

Experience:

• Required: Two (2) years experience as a Priest in a hospital setting is preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Location: Intermountain Health St Vincent Regional Hospital

Work City: Billings

Work State: Montana

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

The hourly range for this position is listed below. Actual hourly rate dependent upon experience.

$22.64 - $34.48

Intermountain Health is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

Intermountain Health cares about your well-being mind, body, and spirit which is why we provide our caregivers a generous benefits package that covers a wide range of programs to foster a sustainable culture of wellness that encompasses living healthy, happy, secure, connected, and engaged.