Spiritual Services (Pastoral Care)

Our professionally trained chaplains offer emotional and spiritual support to patients, loved ones, and our team members. Chaplains listen deeply to what is important to you, respecting your beliefs, your story, and your communities. 

It may be helpful to speak with a chaplain when you experience: 

• ​Anxiety about your/your loved one’s medical condition​
• Anticipating surgery
• Getting bad news (medical or personal)
• Grief over a loss
• Questions of meaning
• Religious questions
• Desire for prayer, sacrament, or ritual
• Feelings you want to sort out

Patients and loved ones may ask their nurse to page a chaplain. Chaplains are on site weekdays, usually 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., and there is a chaplain on call 24/7/365 for urgent needs.  We complete routine requests as soon as feasible, which may take one or more business days.

Team members can reach us most easily through the electronic on-call system or by calling the hospital operator.

You may also call 517-364-2707 or e-mail us at [email protected].

The all-faith chapel’s temporary location is on the hospital’s lower level, near the South elevators. It is generally open 24/7. People of any or no faith can use the chapel as a quiet place to think, pray, meditate, or find a moment of peace. Loved ones of patients are especially encouraged to use the chapel when needing some comfort or space during challenging times.

The hospital’s Food and Nutrition Services (FANS) can provide kosher patient meals. Patients who want a kosher menu can ask their nurse or call extension 4FOOD (43663) from their room phone.

Manager

• Steve Sutterer

Staff Chaplain Lead

• Chad O’Neil

Staff Chaplain

• Virginia Schiefelbein

On-call Chaplains

• Dennis Austin
• Lisa Bolton-Hunt
• Kathy Farnum
• Tom Fox
• Robby Lewis
• Nanette Mathe

Catholic Services Coordinator

• Cassian Hardie

Patients are welcome to have the faith leader/s of their choice visit. Clergy and other community faith group leaders follow the same check-in at the front desk as all other visitors; no special identification is needed. If the visit is urgent or outside of visiting hours, the patient/loved ones will need to ask the nurse to contact visitor management to add the faith leader to the patient’s access list.

University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Lansing is a clinical site for Michigan Medicine’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program. Applications for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) with Michigan Medicine, now with clinical placements at UM Health–Sparrow Lansing are considered on an ongoing basis. For more information, follow the link below or email [email protected].