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PAGE 2, WEDNESDAY,.OCTOBIER,31, 1979, WHITBY FREE PRESS er y R]BMT M.à!rA WVTULtyI - li MA t -. ~.2Y %,IAjU IU~LéJ Free Press Staff This rman's parlih18i perhaps one of the znost unusuâl that people are Ike!y to find despite the fact that the parlsh was founded 30Oygars ago on November 1. '.he paril1the Wbltby Psychiatric Hospital and toinorrow 1 they are celebratlng the tblrtieth an- niversary of the pastoral services department. The present chaplain of the bospital ,1l the Rev. Grant Schiwartz who lias lield the post for the last sevenyears. The occasion also represents the annlversary of the firat tume that the On- tario government -hlred a fuil-tini, salaried cliaplain for any instltutlc", be It a hospital, psychiatriç facillty ur a ajau i RU a t irat chaplain was appointed' to be chapiain of, the Whltby Psychiatrle Hspital. The first chaplains were Rev. Thomas Floyd, an Anglican a-ad Rev. Matthew Darby, a Roman Catholic. Thomas bolds the record for the longest terni of 19 years and next may lie-wil be honored for bis services hi a' gathering at the. hospital. THE- DUTIES 0F THE CHAPLAIN Accordlng to Schiwartz, a chapla in hlospital fun- ctions like any other m'nister. Bringing the mlnlstry Of the churcli to people suf- ferlng froni mentalilflness 18 flot that différent because everyone lias some consep- don- of wiat falth, and a religlous experience is, Schwartz says. "On some level of their being, mont patients have some idea of what worshlp la$" lie says. Schwartz and one other cliaplain, Sister Frances Coffey provide pastrol coun- sellng to both patients and staff at the bospital and at the Durhami Centre for the Developmentally Handicap- ped. On Sunday, an ecumenical service in held ln the hospital's chapel for staff, patients and their relatives. he service 1 in. nter- demoniational but for tbe special needs 0f patients outslde clergyman are brougit i. For instance, Schwartz, belng an Anglican in not trained to hear the- con- fession of a Catliolic patient or staff member'and for this special tradition, the patient ls referedItoa pruest. A bigput of job Is counselng the stai. "' Part of the reason for havlng a chaplain 18 to bave hlm available for the staff," lie says. <Worklng hi a fadility such as tlie hospital bringa a lot of pressure to bear on the staff, he says, and sometimes tliey need the belp tlit a cliaplain can provide.. Altbough, hli 18a'member of every treatnient teani ln tlie bospital, the, claplain occupies a unique position. "A cbaplai i as a unique priviledge, lie can say or not sey, at bis discretion, what a patient lias sadto uzn, Schiwartz says. If a patient says somethlng to any staff member but the cliaplain, it automatically goes înto lis record, a file that 18 kept on tbe patient but any thlng thie ebaplain 18 told 18 confiden- Uial. The prlest to parishioner confldentiality 18 main- tained. Tis also appies to a staff member. If a staff member goes to the clIaplain, the record of counselfg 18 not entered'itoo the employee',s file unless tbe chaplain believes It best. Thie cliaplain 18l also responsible for liason witb churches itlie communlty. Many patients chose to worshlp at churches i town and, the bospital provides transportation for tbema. In fàrt, transportation was one of the issues that lead to tlie litrodutfton of a full- Umne chaplain at thie facillty. About 50 year ago, the Wbitby Ministrial Association negotlated wlth tlie hospital administrator and a local bus company ta bave tbe schedules cbanged 80, that patients could go to churclionSundaymornlngs. EARLY BEGINNINGS Tliere were two otlier issues beig contested by the clergy at tlils Urne. SOne 0f the concerna was the worklng hours of -staff and tbe 1otheèr was the method of burlal of deceased patients. The earliest record of churchl nvolvemnent ithe bospital was a burial con- CONT'D'ON PG. 9