Re-discovery of silence in pastoral care.
Pastoral care within the greater American cultural milieu strongly appraises the use of spoken words and tends to undervalue silence as a powerful and creative element for mutual connection with others and with God. In this essay the author proposes a "counter-cultural" adjustment in the perception of silence and its implications to the practice of, and theological understanding of, pastoral care. The author bases his theses on his own cross-cultural learning experiences, including his training in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), in the re-vitalization of ancient Christian wisdom, and in his current ministry to nursing home residents.
Moriichi
Shuji
S
Cerenity Care Center-Bethesda of South St. Paul, 724 19th Ave., N, South St. Paul, MN 55075, USA. shuji.moriichi@bhshealth.org
D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D010327:Pastoral Care / Q000379:methods*