Corrections_Today_Fall_2025_Vol.87_No.3

News&Views

CORRECTIONAL CHAPLAIN PERSPECTIVES

Chaplaincy An emerging craft within salutogenesis By Chaplain Xavier Justice C haplaincy has come a long way since its origin in the 4 th century when chaplains (Lat

in cappellani) were so called because they kept St. Martin’s famous half cape (cappella). St. Martin of Tours (316-397) was a Roman soldier and later a bishop who gave half of his cape to a beggar along the road in freezing weather which inspired the word “chaplain.” He is credited as the founder of Christian chaplaincy. Chaplains today serve in a variety of settings including hospitals, clin ics, hospices, jails, prisons, colleges, universities, funeral homes, law enforcement and the military, just to mention a few. Chaplaincy is now a well established discipline and service within the spiritual care practice. Chaplains are legitimately situated among the other health care provid ers along the continuum of care. If the spiritual care discipline were examined according to the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition, several levels would immediately come into focus, such as spiritual care generalists, practitioners, pro fessionals, specialists/experts and masters. 1

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Spiritual care generalists would demonstrate general awareness of spiritual care theories and interven tions. Generalists would include helpers in conciliation and health education. Spiritual care practi tioners express competence in the

fundamentals. Community health workers, peer support specialists, psychiatric rehabilitation specialists and prevention and recovery coaches are some of the helpers that practice competent bio-psycho-social-spiritual care. Spiritual care professionals are

Corrections Today | Fall 2025

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