The Rev. Steven A. Voytovich (far right), a certified hospital chaplain, speaks to seminarians Dn. John Vitko and John Frazier about Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), following his campus presentation to first-year SVS students.

“Putting theology into practice at the bedside—that’s ‘CPE’,” said The Rev. Steven A. Voytovich, as he defined Clinical Pastoral Education for first-year seminarians at St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS). Fr. Steven visited the campus as a guest lecturer on January 16, 2009, to convey his experience of being an Orthodox priest, hospital chaplain, and clinical pastoral supervisor, to students who might be interested in providing pastoral care in institutional settings.

Fr. Steven, a “triple” alumnus of St. Vladimir’s [M.Div. ’90, M.A. ’91, and D.Min. ’99], is the Manager of the Clinical Pastoral Education Residency program at the Hospital of St. Raphael, in New Haven, CT. He has been involved in clinical pastoral education and care since his own days as a seminarian at SVS and holds several certifications: CPE Supervisor, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) and College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP); Board Certified Chaplain, Association of Professional Chaplains (APC); and Licensed Counselor in the State of Connecticut. He also acts as the CPE liaison between the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and Orthodox Christian institutional chaplains. As well, he is the rector and pastor of St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre Church in Clinton, CT.

During his presentation, Fr. Steven illustrated the value of a nexus between clinical pastoral training and theological education. “There was a time when I wondered ‘Could I simultaneously be a CPE supervisor and an Orthodox priest?’ but I soon realized that my clinical pastoral education allowed me to deepen my faith, and to express the theology I espouse in an operational sense.

“Institutional chaplains,” he noted, “may be found in a variety of settings—hospitals, hospice care facilities, prisons, police or fire stations, alcohol/drug rehabilitation centers, and even in parish ministry groups. But, even if you are not headed toward an institutional setting, CPE training can help you grow in your ‘pastoral identity,’ imparting skills and talents that shape you as a pastoral care giver and that become part of your life journey.” During his talk, Fr. Steven described historical and current CPE models to students and led them through the application process for CPE programs throughout the United States.

The V. Rev. Harry Pappas, Associate Professor in Pastoral Theology and Director of Field Education at St. Vladimir’s, in thanking Fr. Steven for his presentation, commented upon the emerging plan to integrate of CPE into the St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) curriculum. “The SVS administration and faculty are considering transforming the current field education program into some form of CPE, in a creative way that would include both institutional ministry and parish ministry,” he said.

Currently, 2nd-year SVS seminarians perform 80 hours of pastoral visitation under the auspices of local hospital chaplains, and 3rd-year SVS seminarians participate in weekend parish assignments, mentored by seasoned local Orthodox priests. Inclusion of a CPE component into the SVS curriculum would integrate both of these current field assignments into a clinical pastoral model that would allow for case study and reflection within an Orthodox Christian context.

“An integrated CPE program within the seminary,” said Fr. Steven, “would provide development of pastoral skills, knowledge of medical and technical language, and a reflective stance toward one’s personal life and spiritual journey, which are invaluable in ministering to others. CPE helps to create what I would call ‘pastoral authenticity’ within the soul of the caregiver.

“Moreover, training in a CPE model—admittedly, originally a Protestant development—will help seminarians deepen the witness of their own faith and prepare them with a background for ministry to non-Orthodox spouses and the extended families of their parishioners.

“However, what would be new and refreshing in an integrated program at St. Vladimir’s,” he remarked, “would be that all reflection and theological reasoning would be done within a specifically Orthodox Christian ethos.”

Dr. John Barnet, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at SVS, said the integrated CPE program would allow students simultaneously to earn academic course credits from St. Vladimir’s and to accumulate CPE units toward accreditation in institutional chaplaincy. “Even more exciting,” he pointed out, “is the plan to establish an integrated parish internship based on the CPE model, for which selected parish priests would be trained to serve as field supervisors.”

"I am very excited by this prospect and the direction that St. Vladimir’s is taking with the pastoral formation of our students," added SVS Dean, The V. Rev. Dr. John Behr, further commenting, "the faculty and administration intend to announce details of the planned integration by the end of spring semester 2009."

“CPE, in my ministry as an Orthodox priest,” concluded Fr. Steven, “has been illustrative of the story of Martha and Mary in the Gospel of Luke: the sisters turned from ‘doing’ or ministering to ‘being’ present at Jesus’ feet. CPE likewise helps pastors not only to minister the sacraments and give advice, but also to be ‘present’ as a loving human being to the sick and suffering among us.”