Rev. Susan Mozena – What Hospital Chaplains Do
As one of her three careers, Susan became a hospital chaplain later in her work career. While working in hospital administration, her religious beliefs led her to this calling, with the help of Sister Janet Hudspeth, with whom she had many faith-based conversations over the years.
The first thing that Susan emphasized is that her role as a hospital chaplaincy is not about religion. As not everyone is religious, nor is religion a requirement for spirituality, her work focused on this spirituality, which is the search for a sense of meaning, purpose, and morality.
When dealing with the sick and injured, trying to improve one’s health includes a healthy spirit. Susan views illness as a spiritual event as it challenges an individual’s belief that life is manageable and meaningful.
Spiritual care requires interventions that facilitate the ability to express the integration of the body, mind, and spirit to achieve wholeness, health, and a sense of connection to self, others, and a higher power. Spiritual support is associated with a positive impact on pain severity and an improved quality of life.
Susan’s chaplaincy addresses symptoms of spiritual distress, such as questioning one’s existence and unresolved anger at God, others, and/or self. Her goal is to achieve spiritual well-being, a few examples include openness, peace of mind, and the ability to give and receive love. At the end of one’s life, the hope is to “die at peace and in one piece”, that when the body breaks down that the spirit is not broken. To have spiritual wholeness.