“Light Our Way, A Guide for Spiritual Care in Times of Disaster for Disaster Response Volunteers, First Responders, and Disaster Planners,”
Many of you are volunteers or essential workers who are dedicated in carrying out our Catholic Charities mission in this time of Covid-19. Catholic Charities USA has shared this resource for all of us from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. This resource is available for download in English and Spanish.
Borrowing from the opening pages of this document I will share with you the purpose of this resource:
The purpose of this resource is to inform, encourage and affirm the hundreds of thousands of disaster responders who put their personal plans and routines on hold in the event of a local or national disaster.
If you are one of those who carries out one or more of the myriad essential functions in the relief and recovery stages of disaster response, this booklet is for you.
It is the belief of the members of the Emotional and Spiritual Care Committee of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster that the spiritual nature of humanity inspires the deep compassion and spontaneous generosity that we see demonstrated by individuals and whole communities after great catastrophes.
We believe that all who feel compelled to help can learn more effective and caring ways to be present to those we serve.
Spirituality is an essential aspect of our humanity and when we face challenges and struggles we may find that these events disrupt our spiritual core. This of course will affect the way we minister to others whether they are our own family/community members of the people we are called to serve. This document offers us the following sections with lessons, stories and reflections that allow us to nurture our own spiritual and emotional health.
- Section 1: Basic Concept of Spiritual Care
- Section 2: Types of Spiritual Care
- Section 3: Disaster Emotional Care and its relationship to disaster spiritual care
- Section 4: Disaster Spiritual Care in Long Term Recovery
- Section 5: Emotional and Spiritual Care for the Caregiver
- Section 6: Mitigation, Preparedness, Planning and Training as Spiritual care Components
- Section 7: National VOAD, disaster spiritual care points of consensus, disaster emotional care points of consensus and disaster spiritual care guidelines
- Quick References: National VOAD Disaster Spiritual Care Guidelines
I also offer the following quote from St. Vincent DePaul as a reminder to me of my own spiritual and emotional presence as I prepare myself to serve the community in need.
You will find out that Charity is a heavy burden to carry, heavier than the kettle of soup and the full basket. But you will keep your gentleness and your smile. It is not enough to give soup and bread. This the rich can do. You are the servant of the poor, always smiling and good-humored. They are your masters, terribly sensitive and exacting master you will see. And the uglier and the dirtier they will be, the more unjust and insulting, the more love you must give them. It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give to them.
