The Diocese of Winchester supports a wide range of chaplaincies in our schools, our towns and cities, hospitals, prisons, the police force, as well as Anna Chaplains who minister to older people.
Chaplaincy is a ministry beyond the walls of the church, meeting people where they are and whatever their beliefs. Chaplains walk alongside people offering a listening ear, compassion, support and prayer.
This week, chaplains from across the diocese came together at Winchester Cathedral for a Chaplaincy Networking event – an opportunity to share experiences, learn from one another and celebrate the many different chaplaincy roles.
The afternoon included a talk from the Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Revd Chris Palmer, the Head of Visitor Chaplains, Revd Lynn Power, and Cathedral Chaplain, Revd Canon Julian Poppleton, and heard about the support offered to the many people who come to cathedral seeking sanctuary, celebration, reflection or rest on a pilgrimage route.
Revd Lisa Thomas, Chaplaincy Lead for the Diocese of Winchester, said it’s important to bring chaplains together: “Many chaplains work in isolation so it’s a chance to come and talk to others. I’ve found people also love hearing about other chaplaincy work. Some of their experiences are the same, but others are quite different. It’s a priority in the diocese to support chaplaincy and this is one of the ways that we can do that, because chaplaincy is incarnational – we come alongside people and that’s what we’re doing for each other today.”
Here are some of the stories of our chaplains…
Carol Dale is a Visitor Chaplain at Winchester Cathedral:
For me chaplaincy is about being there for people, being a good listener and praying for people, either with them or praying for whatever they’ve requested later.
More and more people are coming to the cathedral for prayer and appreciate it and like the fact that there are people who can listen to them here. I love it when people recognise that they need God or they’d like to have a relationship with Jesus.
We’re all in different kinds of chaplaincies. It’s good for us to get together and network and to learn about different chaplaincies, what they do and how they operate.
Revd Dom Jones leads a team of multi-faith chaplains across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight police, providing pastoral support and a listening ear to officers, staff and volunteers:
Policing is challenging. It has ups and downs and to provide a listening ear confidentially is very much needed. You see people having the opportunity to offload and people leaving conversations lighter.
My team are deployed into local police stations across the force. It’s a relational ministry where people can come and our chaplains can meet our officers and staff wherever they are. It’s offering that opportunity to chat if times are tough either in their work or personal life. It’s an incredible privilege to be able to do it.
I take great satisfaction in being able to help people who help us every single day, sometimes risking their lives to keep people across Hampshire safe.
I’ve been passionate about the diocese having a chaplaincy gathering because chaplaincy can be a lonely world. I’ve got a team but they’re in their stations, working on their own so this is a good opportunity to come together with other chaplains, who might be in very different roles.
Revd Lisa Thomas is a curate in Brockenhurst and chaplain at Winchester Crown Court:
As a chaplain, it’s a way that I can go out into places where people don’t know about God. They don’t know about Jesus, and they don’t know about the gospel. We don’t shout about it but it’s through my actions, through my being there – it’s God through me that I hope they will be able to see.
It’s a sheer privilege to be alongside people who sometimes want to talk or sometimes just want to sit quietly with you.
I spoke to a lady who was the mother of somebody who was on trial. She told me I was the first person who had spoken to her in two days. To be able to sit non-judgmentally and let people talk and know they have been listened to is important.
A good day for me is when I spend a lot of time with people, but I’m not doing the talking as they are. I think it’s a powerful ministry. In most chaplaincy, we’ll never see the people again. It’s a God-created moment, that we get to do.
Karen Markiewicz is a volunteer with City Centre Chaplaincy in Winchester and an Anna Chaplain:
Chaplaincy for me is being there for somebody who wants to have a conversation, being visible and available, coming alongside people, meeting them at their need, whether that’s physical, emotional, sometimes psychological.
It doesn’t always have to be spiritual. It’s being that listening ear, helping them feel valued and listened to.
It touches something in my soul, knowing that I’ve maybe brought comfort or validation or value to somebody’s life by just listening, whether it’s a fleeting conversation or an in-depth conversation on faith. It’s being able to bring something positive into somebody’s life and maybe touch their soul, which is the cherry on the cake.
