Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Team

St Nicholas Hospice Care’s Spiritual and Chaplaincy team is available to offer pastoral, religious and spiritual care to all those receiving our services, those people that are important to them and to staff and volunteers.

We are all different, with unique needs, expectations and wishes. If you follow a particular faith, you may have religious requests that you would like us to honour.

Spiritual care can mean many things, including the search for hope, connection and inner peace. These experiences can be expressed individually or together with others.

Our team offers spiritual, religious and pastoral care to everyone through a compassionate, non-judgemental presence. Support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on our inpatient unit, and on request we visit people wherever they call home.

The team can help with practical issues such as planning funerals, officiating at funerals, and liaising with other faith ministers.

To make a referral, please contact our referrals team on 01284 702525 (Mon – Fri, 0830-1630).

On this page you will find:

•  An introduction to our spiritual care and chaplaincy team
•  Importance of spiritual and religious needs
•  GraveTalk
•  Heartfelt – Bereavement Drop-in
•  Spiritual and religious support for your loved one
•  Multifaith resources
•  Local support
•  Information for local faith leaders
•  Online live streaming of services
•  Music for reflection and peace
•  Thought of the week
•  General resources
•  Some prayers
•  Learn more about spiritual care and end of life through education
•  End of life resources

Please note, many of the links below are directed to third party websites. Although we make every effort to ensure these links are accurate, up to date and relevant, St Nicholas Hospice Care cannot take responsibility for pages maintained by external providers.

All of us are different with individual needs, expectations and wishes. People of a particular faith may have religious wishes that they would like fulfilled. Spiritual care has many definitions; it is “essentially providing a safe and hospitable place where people can choose to explore spirituality in the way that suits them best” (White 2006:104).

• We provide care for all those living with caring, dying, death and grief.
• We recognise that spirituality is unique for each person, therefore, the support we offer is person-led.
• We will respond with sensitivity to the needs of the individual.
• We offer empathy, compassion, a listening ear and support for all.
• We will endeavour to make contact with any faith leaders at your request.
• We are part of holistic care offered by St Nicholas Hospice Care.
• We lead “Light up a Life” events that are an opportunity to remember those we love who have died.
• We offer a 24-hour on-call service for those on our in-patient ward.
• We visit when requested those throughout our community at home or in care homes. 

Importance of Spiritual and Religious needs

The spiritual and religious needs of a person are very important. If your loved one or the person in your care or their family is seeking religious support, it is important to ask questions, to enable you to know what support is wished for and needed. Ask if the person can share what is important to them, the things that make them who they are and who is in their network of care and support.

The following questions might aid you in getting the conversation started. It is important to listen to what is being said or avoided.

Sources of Hope:
What keeps you going in difficult times?
Organised religion:
Are you part of a religious or spiritual community? How does that help you?
Personal spirituality:
What spiritual beliefs do you find most helpful to you personally?
Effect of healthcare:
Is there anything I can do to help you cope spiritually at this time?

Find out more about the HOPE model for spiritual assessment

GraveTalk

Creating a space where questions can be shared, discussed and considered is behind one of our Hospice’s educational courses.

For those with questions about death and dying, having someone to talk to can often be invaluable – but how do you start those conversations?

Find out more by clicking here.

Heartfelt – Bereavement Drop-in

Heartfelt is a welcoming bereavement drop-in session designed to create a supportive environment for conversation.

A space where individuals can find mutual support and encouragement for those experiencing bereavement.

Join us on the first Saturday of each month, from 10.30am to 12.30pm, at the Hospice’s Hardwick Lane site in Bury St Edmunds, IP33 2QY.

Find out more by clicking here.

Spiritual and religious support for your loved one

If your loved one belongs to a local faith community, they may wish to have some connection with their own faith leader. At this time our spiritual care and chaplaincy team or other local faith minister may not be able to visit someone in person. However, prayers may be said and conversations had that bring comfort found by phone or video link.

Interfaith resources

A YouTube conversation is on Faith perspectives on palliative, end-of-life care and hospices – Hospice UK 2024

Interfaith Calendar: Interfaith Calendar 2026: Major Religious Holidays, Holy Days

For local faith leaders

The Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Team can be a resource to support you as ministers and the local community by signposting to local relevant people or bereavement support. Please email us at spiritualcare@stnh.org.uk.

Music for reflection and peace

The Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Team has provided some music that may offer reflection and peace. Please feel free to sing along or listen to this piece of instrumental music entitled ‘Peace’.

Some prayers

Please see below a selection of links to different of prayers, which you may find comforting at certain points during a challenging time.

• Prayers of love
• The Lord’s Prayer
• Prayers that can be used in care homes
• Prayers of Commendation
• Prayers that can be used for a funeral (Church of England)

Learn more about spiritual care and end-of-life through education

 

GraveTalk is an opportunity for learning from one another in a safe environment where questions can be shared and discussed.

If you would like to know more about Gravetalk or about running a session in your community, please contact Gravetalk@stnh.org.uk.