CHAPLAINS MINISTER TO THE MASSES; MINISTERING TO IMMEDIATE NEES TOPS LIST OF DUTIES FOR AREA CHAPLAINS

The Rev. John Cantore stood in the chapel at St. Francis Medical Center where he serves as chaplain.

The Rev. Karl Leeman is chaplain for residents at the Lutheran Home.

As a chaplain, the Rev. Bill Matzat is able to strip away all the excess baggage people carry and get to the main issues of ministry.

"What's so incredible is that you don't know a family, except in a tragic situation, and in five minutes they are completely dependent on the relationship," said Matzat, one of three chaplains at Southeast Missouri Hospital. "All the preliminary is out of the way and you can deal with the more intense, extreme issues, which is what it's all about in the ministry."

Chaplains handle crises of all sorts, regardless of where they serve. "A chaplain is a nondenominational helper," said the Rev. John Cantore, a Catholic priest who serves as one of five hospital chaplains at St. Francis Medical Center.

"We are present whenever a person needs a minister. People are open to this ministry."

But hospitals aren't the only place chaplains can be found. Chaplains from all denominations serve in nearly every possible setting, from military duty to factories and nursing homes.

The Rev. Karl Leeman went from serving two outlying Lutheran congregations to serving residents of the Lutheran Home as a chaplain.

"Most residents have their own minister, I just complement their work," Leeman said. Serving as a chaplain is actually more intense than serving as parish minister, he said.

Many of the encounters and visits come during times of trouble. New residents may be having difficulty adjusting to life in a nursing center, or families may be frustrated that a relative is losing their ability to communicate.

So Leeman visits the residents regularly and often mingles during coffee hours. "I give them comfort and give them hope."

Offering hope is one of the benefits of a chaplain's work, said the Rev. David Dissen.

Dissen is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church but also serves as a chaplain to the city's police and fire departments.

"It's an opportunity to share my faith in Jesus Christ with people because I feel strongly that as scripture says 'Every man in Christ is a new creation and the old things are passed away.'

"I feel that once people grab hold of the understanding of life's direction and that it doesn't have to be this way or that it will be different once they believe, life is a whole lot better."

Dissen is one of three chaplains at the police department and visits about once a month.

During a visit to the jail, several prisoners talked about making changes in their lives, he said.

"Many times when they are in jail, they will have second thoughts about the direction their life is taking," he said.

Dissen provides devotional material and Bibles to the prisoners.

Jackson Police Chief Marvin Sides said having a chaplain in the department is beneficial to both the officers and city residents.

However, the Jackson department's chaplain recently left his church post in the community and hasn't been replaced, Sides said.

"Mainly someone has to express an interest in it. It's voluntary and takes someone with energy," he said.

A chaplain is available to talk with officers or to offer counseling, as well as helping in difficult and stressful situations, he said.

In hospital settings, families are often dealing with crisis situations. Patient visits often come from referrals, Matzat said.

"We usually don't just sit with a patient," he said. "Their family is here and are wrestling with a question, often it's an end of life issue."

But not all the work is crisis intervention. Many times it's a matter of counseling patients or hospital staff.

"There are 1,400 employees at the hospital and those people have families that have difficulties and problems," Matzat said. "Chaplains are the integration of so many disciplines.