As a hospital chaplain (aka spiritual care provider), I often find that people misunderstand my role. When I introduce myself, some people say they aren’t religious, some say they are from a faith that is not Christian, some say they have a pastor or that they are OK for now. However, there is a reason this role is now called ‘spiritual care provider’. It is a role that is to serve all. It is not called Christian care provider, religious care provider, but spiritual care provider because it is about tending the spirit that is in all of us. Pain is not only biological, but it also has emotional and spiritual impacts.

Our word ‘psyche’ includes the human soul in its etymology. For the ancient Greeks it was an all-inclusive word that involves the mind, emotions and spirit of a person. That is why most hospitals have spiritual care providers as part of their inter-disciplinary team. We know that for the best hope of recovery or adjustment it is essential that we help the body and spirit together. The first thing I usually say to a patient is ‘I am here for you. This is your journey and I’m here to support you in whatever way I can. If it is just to listen or to pray if desired, it is all about you.’

The spiritual care provider walks through hospital corridors with quiet anticipation, knowing that in each room there is pain. In each room there is space for a little more hope. The chaplain’s role is not defined by procedures or charts, but by presence - sitting with people at a vulnerable time of life. Spiritual care providers offer spiritual and emotional care to patients of all beliefs and to those who have no belief in God, listening for meaning more than the words and forms people use. In sterile rooms buzzing with machines and monitors, they remind patients and families that they are more than their diagnoses, that their stories, fears, and faith matter more. Biography over biology.

Much of a spiritual care provider’s work unfolds through gentle, open questions that invite reflection rather than demand answers. “What is giving you strength right now?” “What worries you the most in this moment?” or “Are there beliefs or practices that bring you comfort?” or simply “How was your sleep last night?’. These questions open doors to reflection, allowing patients and families to voice hope, doubt, anger, or grief. Often, the greatest gift is a silence that listens - a safe space where complicated emotions can rest without being judged or rushed. It is amazing how much better one can feel after talking a little with a trustworthy person.

Steinbach will maintain a waterway that previously was under provincial responsibility, after both levels of government agreed to transfer its jurisdiction.

Steinbach city council voted unanimously on April 21 to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Manitoba government to bring the section of the Manning Canal that ran through the city under Steinbach’s control. The city was in negotiations with the province since 2022 about taking over the only provincially-maintained drain running through the municipality.

Mayor Earl Funk said having the Manning Canal under city responsibility will allow improvements to happen faster as more developments are built in Steinbach.

“I think this will help everyone downstream manage their water better, as we can slowly develop it. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take years, and as development happens along, it will keep improving,” he told reporters after the council meeting.