Skip to main content
. 2016 Jun 17;16:200. doi: 10.1186/s12888-016-0903-9

Table 3.

Helpful services provided by SPC staff

Religious provision Pastoral provision
Formal religious service Listening
Prayer The social side of religious services
Spiritual advice/guidance Providing an emotional connection
Holy Communion* Providing hope/self-worth
Confession^ A critical friend
Normalising faith A bridge between community and ward
‘Tending the good in someone’

*Holy Communion, shared between Christians, involves breaking bread and wine to commemorate Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is usually a communal ceremony

^Confession, a mainly Roman Catholic practice, involves sharing perceived wrongdoings with a priest in the anticipation of divine forgiveness