Strengthening Spirituality
Butler VA Chaplains provide compassionate religious care by walking with Veterans, their family members and staff, in accordance with their needs, beliefs, and desires.
Kevin Giles, U.S. Army Veteran first started using the Butler VA’s Chaplain services in July 2022 when he started at the Domiciliary. The Butler VA’s Domiciliary (Dom) Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program is a 56-bed care facility for eligible Veterans who deal with a multitude of issues such as homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, and unemployment matters.
“I was homeless, living in the woods in Pittsburgh. I was drinking heavily with high anxiety and low spirituality. Meeting Father Murphy and attending mass in the Community Living Center (CLC) was the best thing that has happened to me,” shared Kevin. “I came to truly understand what it means to put my trust in God. I am now working full time in the kitchen at the CLC, where I can spend more time with Veterans. My outlook on things is so different, for the better. My faith has never been stronger.”
Kevin encourages other Veterans to give Chaplain services a try. “I was skeptical, but working with Chaplain services, I was able to strengthen my spirituality which in turn improved my mental aspects (anxiety) and physically (less fatigued).”
For Daryl Lee, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, faith has always been important to him. Daryl is a resident at Sergeant Joseph George Kusick Community Living Center (CLC). He participates as much as possible in chapel services and appreciates the fellowship at the CLC when gathered as a community.
“When I first got here [the CLC], the Chaplains really helped me work on a few things. They are here for you, if you just use them.”
Like Kevin, he also encourages Veterans to reach out and rely on the Butler VA Chaplains. He expressed that each Chaplain has been a source of support and encouragement in this journey called life.
Butler VA Chaplains journey with Veterans to empower them to identify and connect with their spirituality and with themselves. Chaplains provide chapel services, rituals, rites, and religious sacraments. Weekly chapel services are available to residents at the Community Living Center and Domiciliary.
The Chaplains work closely with staff members and other professional health care disciplines to provide holistic care for Veterans. They facilitate groups, both inpatient and outpatient. Chaplain coverage is available 24-hours a day, particularly in urgent situations and emergencies.
Tele-Chaplaincy is also available for any Veterans at the Butler VA. Veterans may request a Chaplain Consult be placed by their VA provider. From those consults, Chaplains talk to Veterans on the phone, in person and via VA Video Connect (VVC).
“VA Chaplaincy is a unique calling and vocation to journey with our Nation’s Veterans through the ups and downs, the muck and mire -the unknowns- that life can present to us. For me it’s an honor and privilege to walk with someone as they encounter the unknowns in life,” shared Katie McCullough, Chief Chaplain for the Butler VA.
"The unknowns may look like end-of-life decisions, mental health struggles, experiences that evoke an array of emotions such as fear, doubt, shame, and guilt, or perhaps even hopelessness and an uncertainty in life. Amidst it all, there is often a space where the spiritual is highlighted, where people are trying to connect with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose – and this is where Chaplains can accompany people to help them flourish.”
The Butler VA Health Care System is committed to caring for each Veteran’s whole health, which includes the mind, body, and spirit. Each Veteran is unique and connects with their spirituality differently and, in their own ways. The Chaplains at the Butler VA, while all from distinct faith backgrounds, provide spiritual care to all Veterans whatever their beliefs may be.
Learn more about VA Chaplaincy today, call 724-477-5009.