Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pastoral Care ¿¿Counseling Women's Spirituality in Gynecologic-Oncology: A Paradigm Shift From Purity To Womanhood
Pastoral Care ¿¿Counseling Women's Spirituality in Gynecologic-Oncology: A Paradigm Shift From Purity To Womanhood
Pastoral Care
Personal Reflections ¿¿Counseling
Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling
2016, Vol. 70(4) 287-288
Abstract
While women have traditionally been given an image of womanhood, purity, and even motherhood it is important for the
spiritual care provider to help women in uncovering their own spiritual lives; especially within the care and treatment of
gynecologic-oncology.
Keywords
Women’s healthcare, women’s spirituality, gynecologic-oncology, spiritual care
when considering how faith is to be transmitted to women through their fears, anxieties, uncertainty, and ambiguity.
and minority groups. It is this type of ambiguous loss that is at the heart of
Most of the women of Dallas County have no history of women suffering from gynecologic cancers and also the
preventive medicine, or ever went to the doctor’s office most appropriate for the chaplain to assist in addressing
except when their bodies told them it was time to go in, and honoring women for who they are.
and more often than not I would encounter young and Traditional models of pastoral care intend to offer sup-
older women being diagnosed with terminal conditions. port and care to women in utilizing religious means of
Without access to preventive healthcare most women fly coping, meaning-making, and ritual at the cost of continual
under the radar of providing for their own bodily needs alienation and imparting unhealthy models of spirituality. I
because of the perception that a mother (like Mary) is to contend that using the discipline and a narrative approach to
care first for her children and family. It always seemed as spiritual care can be an effective way of delivering care to
though each woman was highly devoted to her family at her women afflicted with gynecologic cancers. But, what does
own expense, and unfortunately the cost ended up being this say about traditional means of ritual, meaning-making,
paid with her own life. I was struck by this sense of loss, faith ascription, and pastoral care? While, for the most
and these women were not my mother or sister. But, in a part, women have been coping and finding hope through
greater sense all of them were mothers and sisters to me traditionally assumed means of care does not detract from
and especially their families. In our religious institutions we the fact that effective and quality spiritual care can, and has
see women most often involved in the life of congregations, been provided. As a critic, provider, and life-long learner I
missions, and charitable events giving of themselves with- am always brought back to the foundational elements of
out anyone ever asking how they were doing. care, and understanding faith. When situations and circum-
Using the Marian theological context the paradox hap- stances do not seem to fit the model offered then we lean
pens to be the story of the “real” Mary and the Mary on time-honored tradition in helping us better understand
developed by the Church with all of its ascriptions about what it means to suffer, provide care, and find wholeness.
her and what we believe about her. The Mary in the biblical The cohesive nature of spiritual care can be found in
narrative and certainly in a Galilean Jewish woman in the religious traditions throughout the world in wanting to
1st century AD would have more in common with women bring the outcast, sick, and imprisoned into right relation-
across the world than that constructed by the Church in all ship and fellowship of the whole community. Journeying
her glory, purity, and divinity. A theology for women that is with women through their narrative, and ability to claim
constructed from the bottom up shedding light on the ownership of their faith and lives will allow for interven-
realities of women would certainly honor women through tions particular to each woman. Some new, some already
any context, time, and era. practiced, and some on the horizon.
Reference
Conclusion
Althaus-Reid, M. (2004). From feminist theology to indecent theology.
What do we have to gain in the delivery of spiritual care if London, UK: SCM Press.
nothing more than the ability to journey with others in the
search for meaning-making, restoration of life/resilience/ John Paul Luft, an ordained Baptist minister, is a graduate
hope, and sacred duty of repairing the world? Women’s of the Baptist University of the Americas and attended
lives have been greatly affected and altered by each Brite Divinity School and currently serves as a Chaplain II
Church’s theology, assumptions of purity, biological impera- at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas,Texas. A member
tives, and unchecked motivations. Gynecologic-oncology of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy he
serves on the Institutional Ethics Committee, and CPE
has offered a unique perspective into the lives of women
Ministry Team. He completed clinical pastoral education
facing the very images set-up for them in a society not
residencies at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health Care in San
ready to address their innermost being. Allowing women Antonio, Texas with a second year at Parkland HHS in
the opportunity to claim their voices, their bodies, imper- Dallas, Texas.
fections, and faith in the provision of spiritual care can help
women dealing with gynecologic cancers as they tread
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