Pastoral Care at UMMC

During times of stress or uncertainty, many people find talking to a chaplain helpful. Pastoral Care Services at the University of Maryland Medical Center are available 24 hours a day for you and your family.

The role of Pastoral Care Services at the University of Maryland Medical Center extends far beyond administering holy sacraments at the end of life. We can help you adjust to new medical conditions, cope with traumatic events and explore your spirituality.

You can call us when you are upset and anxious or just need someone to listen. Don't wait until you feel overwhelmed.

Services We Offer

Our chaplains are qualified to help with:

• Sacrament: Holy Communion, Sacraments of the Sick (Formally Known as Last Rites), Confession, Emergency Baptism
• Prayer
• Crises Intervention
• Treatment Decisions
• End-Of-Life Issues
• Providing Meditation Tapes and Spiritual Music
• Providing Religious Articles, such as: Bibles, Qur'ans, Rosaries, Candles, Kosher Refrigerators
• Family Conferences
• Leading Memorial Services
• Communication with a Patient's Religious Leader if Geographic Distance Hinders their Availability

Our Commitment to All Faiths

We can offer guidance to the followers of all world religions. Most religions don't require that pastors and patients share the same religious persuasion, but if you have specific religious needs, we will try to find you an appropriate religious leader.

We have a rabbi, a priest, protestant and nondenominational ministers on our staff. We also have relationships with Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Jehovah Witness as well as other spiritual leaders in the community.

Not only are our services nondenominational, we also minister to patients with no religious affiliations. It makes no difference to us whether you belong to a church, mosque or temple, or have no formal religious ties at all. We aim to foster spiritual wholeness and help you with questions about faith.

Contact Us

Chaplains can be reached Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 410-328-6014.

After hours, you can have your nurse page us. The fastest way to reach a chaplain is to ask the patient's nurse to page one. If you are calling from outside the Medical Center, you may call the Medical Center's main number at 410-328-UMMS, and ask the hospital operator to page the chaplain. You may leave your phone number or remain on the line until the chaplain responds. Please allow 10 minutes for the chaplain to receive the page and return your call. If you do not receive a return phone call, please repeat the above process.