Over twenty-five chaplains of different faiths convened on the campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary March 5 and 6 to assess and certify clinical chaplains serving in hospitals, long-term care, and hospice. The seminary hosted certification meetings for the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI), the national certifying body affiliated with the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Sarah Byrne-Martelli, a Board Certified Chaplain endorsed by the Antiochian Archdiocese and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) student at St. Vladimir’s, co-chaired the event. Priest Adrian Budica, a Board Certified Chaplain, ACPE Certified Educator, and Director of Field Education at the Seminary, served as a committee member.
“This was a wonderful opportunity for our entire seminary community to learn more about chaplaincy—including the board certification process—and for APC members of various faith traditions to learn about Orthodoxy in general, and about our seminary in particular,” said Fr. Budica.
The BCCI certification program is designed to elevate professional chaplaincy standards and to designate professional chaplains who demonstrate the competencies essential to the practice of spiritual care. For more information, visit professionalchaplains.org.
Since 2012, all Master of Divinity (M.Div.) students at St Vladimir’s have been required to complete one unit of ACPE-accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). Under Fr. Budica’s directorship, the program was expanded to offer introductory CPE sessions to all students as part of first-year prison ministry. St. Vladimir’s Seminary is also in the process of becoming a CPE center for students interested in part-time or full-time ministry and board certification as chaplains.
Further reading:
How Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Transforms Seminarians
(By Fr. Adrian Budica, The Word, January 2018)
