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Texas Children's Hospital Chaplaincy Services supports the spiritual, religious and cultural needs of patients, families and staff.

Chaplain visits may be arranged weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If families or patients wish to see a chaplain during the evening or on weekends, a member of the nursing staff can contact the on-call chaplain or priest through the page operator. 

Chaplains
Lead pediatric Chaplain Pam Taylor and Chaplain Enrique Contreras y Martinez are available to meet with families in the Chapel or in patient rooms. Their work is complemented by volunteer lay chaplains and chaplains from St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital.

Taylor joined the hospital in August 2002.  She holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, and completed two years of clinical pastoral education at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital from 1994 to 1996. Chaplain Taylor is board certified through the Association of Professional Chaplains, and is a member of the Pediatric Chaplains Network and the Association of Professional Chaplains.

Chaplain Contreras is a graduate of St. Thomas University School of Theology, where he earned a Masters in Divinity. He completed a chaplaincy internship at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas as a requirement for his master’s degree. That experience led to a two-year residency program in Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, which included serving as a chaplain resident at Texas Children's. Chaplain Contreras has assumed responsibilities primarily for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Newborn Center, but he also responds to requests from throughout the Hospital, especially when a Spanish-speaking chaplain is needed.

Chapel
The Children's Chapel at Texas Children’s Hospital provides a unique retreat for families, patients and staff to pray, meditate, attend religious services or simply be alone with their thoughts. It is located near The Auxiliary Bridge on the 3rd floor of the West Tower, directly across from the admitting offices.  

The Children’s Chapel is open to the diverse faiths and cultures of those who come to Texas Children's. It has no permanent altar or religious artifact. Religious symbols may be brought into the Chapel for faith-specific services.

The child-friendly, interfaith Chapel was designed with help from young patients and their families. Children drew pictures and wrote essays about their ideas of what a chapel should be. The concept of using an oval for its design was introduced in a drawing by the sisters of a Texas Children's patient.

Applying nature and light as its central feature, the Children’s Chapel evokes a sense of spirituality for all faiths. Its shape represents wholeness, the infinite love of God, eternity, timelessness and inclusiveness.

The Chapel ceiling creates the illusion of a changing sky, moving in a 12-minute cycle from dawn to midday to the twinkle of nighttime stars. Dawn represents new beginnings, illumination and hope, as well as birth, rebirth and awakening. The dark night sky suggests rest, repose and the regathering of strength.

The Tree of Hope
On Sept. 11, 2002, the "Tree of Hope," pictured at left, was introduced into the Chapel to mark the first anniversary of terrorist attacks on the nation. The tree holds written prayers for peace as well as prayers from Texas Children's families, patients and staff. Tying prayers to the tree's branches has become a ritual of hope and healing.

Services
Interfaith and faith-specific services are scheduled in the Children’s Chapel during major holy days including services for Easter, Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid and Ramadan. Periodic healing and wholeness services also are offered. Other services, such as Blessing of the Hands and Blessing of the (Toy) Animals, are held at various locations throughout the year.
 

Schedules of services and other events are posted outside the Chapel and on channel 18 of Texas Children's TV.

Spirituality in Children Conference
In support of an enriched spiritual life for health care providers, patients and families, The Auxiliary to Texas Children's Hospital will sponsor its fourth national conference on supporting the spiritual life of hospitalized children in October 2007. To learn more about the conference, visit Clergy Symposium.