Present in times of crisis: The impact of COVID-19 on activities, visibility, and recognizability of chaplains in a healthcare organization in the Netherlands

Abstract

This article addresses the question of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on the activities, visibility, and recognizability of a chaplaincy team in a large healthcare facility in the Netherlands. In the context of a participatory action research project aimed at developing a clear chaplaincy profile in order to increase the visibility and recognizability of chaplains in the organization, the COVID-19 outbreak has had a surprising effect. The chaplains reported an unexpected and sudden increase in their visibility and a strengthening of their profile due to the pandemic. In this article, we explore how the chaplains have responded to the COVID-19 outbreak and reflect on the question of what lessons may be learned from the recent past period regarding visibility and recognizability of chaplaincy in healthcare organizations.