This book explores the life and ministry of healthcare chaplaincy within the Irish context. At the heart of the text is the person of the chaplain - it is their narrative that remains front and centre here at all times. This in turn, provides us with a unique opportunity to explore key questions around their call to ministry, their understanding of chaplaincy as well as how they posit their faith within such a context (if at all). It also leads us as readers into a conversation with them around how the chaplains try to make sense of human suffering, how they can face into the reality of the human condition each and every day and how they manage to help others to face into, hold and make sense of their own pain, suffering and loss. Here we also converse in a meaningful way with the theological tradition around suffering in order to see what it has to offer the pastoral practitioners dealing at the coal face as well the cultural context within which ministry unfolds. This book is raw, real and cutting edge with much to ponder on for those with more than a passing interest in chaplaincy, suffering or human narrative.
