Chaplain and Pastoral Counseling Ministry
The Chaplain and Pastoral Counseling Ministry supports chaplains and pastoral counselors working within the Antiochian Archdiocese of America. Under the coordination of Fr. George Morelli, the department organizes retreats, workshops, and courses, as well as posting pertinent articles and web links on this page. Personal consultation by phone and e-mail is available for those seeking more specific, situational guidance as they practice in the fields of mental health and pastoral care.
Because ministry takes place in a complex, pluralistic world, this department provides clear archdiocesan guidelines to help Orthodox chaplains and pastoral counselors adhere to Orthodox teaching, spirituality, and healing traditions, while also knowing when and how to incorporate scientifically sound clinical interventions. Professionals in this field, both clergy and laypersons, are encouraged to get in touch with Fr. George Morelli so that he can continue to revise and update the archdiocesan directory of chaplains and counselors for the sake of networking, community, and mutual support.
Calling all chaplains and counseling professionals: Are you a clergyman in the Antiochian Archdiocese serving as a military chaplain? Are you a professional in the field of counseling or pastoral ministry? If so, Fr. George Morelli wants to hear from!
Contact:
V. Rev. Fr. George Morelli, Ph.D.
Ministry Coordinator
2579 Luciernaga St.
Carlsbad, California, 92009-5822
760.431.2580
gmorelli@fdu.edu
Fr. George is also a Featured Author of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Learn more about his writings here.
See also, From the Frontlines: A Letter from Fr. Stephan Close
Entitlement: Sabotaging Relationships
Chaplain's Corner
I am sure some have come across people who hold the view that they are entitled to be treated in a certain manner. These individuals define their relationships with others in terms of their social position or power. That is to say, they feel they are entitled to and deserve, love, companionship, happiness, honesty, obedience, respect, and deference, etc. Entitlement works hand in hand with demanding expectations. This means, when someone doesn’t treat them the way they demand and expect to be treated, they feel they have the right to be angry or, alternatively, they get depressed.
From the outset, it should be noted that some of the expected ways in which people want others to treat them are often desirable and often good. A psycho-spiritual problem occurs when the events themselves become a test of whether or not expectations are met according to self-defined standards. In clinical terms, desirable preferences have been transformed into demanding expectations which sabotage the social or business relationship and result in emotions and behavior (usually anger) that impair the ability to attain desirable goals.
Memoir shows even chaplains face spiritual crisis in war zone
By The REV. GEORGE MORELLI - For the North County Times | Sunday, April 12, 2009 7:07 PM PDT
"Faith under Fire"
Authors: Roger Benimoff & Ann Conant
Publisher: Crown Publishers
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 268
Price: $23.95
When we think of heroism in war, we usually think of a military figure, gun blazing, single-handedly holding off a barrage of charging enemies. Images of special forces come to mind. Low on any list of courageous members of the armed forces would be someone dressed in camouflage, but with a cross or Star of David on their lapel: a chaplain. In fact, chaplains are not allowed to carry deadly weapons.
As Chaplain Roger Benimoff himself states in his new memoir of combat service in Iraq, "a pocketknife was the most lethal object I was allowed to hold."
But this is what his book, "Faith Under Fire," written with Anne Conant, is all about ---- chaplains can be among the military's most courageous members. This is even more so because they do not carry weapons; they have only their faith in God and his will as their defense.
Spiritual Winter – Spiritual Spring
Chaplain's Corner
April is the first full month of spring, a time of deliverance from the gloom of winter. This year, for Christians, April is also the holiest festal period of the year. For them, the reason for the sanctity of this holy season is the triumphant joy of Christ’s Resurrection, a deliverance which followed the depth of forsakenness he experienced during his passion when he prayed while hanging on the Cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Ps 21: 1, Mt: 27:43).
Few realize this psalm’s closing verses end in the joyous hope in the reign of God: “Posterity shall serve him; men shall tell of the Lord to the coming generation, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn (Ps 21: 30-31)” Deliverance is also the theme of the Passover celebrated by the Jewish people-in April this year. After years of slavery God rescued His people from the domination of the tyrannical Pharaoh and led them into the promised land and redemption. Moses told the Pharaoh: “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness …’” (Ex 7:16).
Eastern Christians use the word Pascha for Easter. Pascha, is derived from Greek usage and is itself a transliteration of the Hebrew word for Passover: pesach. The words of Psalm 68 are relevant to both traditions:
“Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before fire, let the wicked perish before God! But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy!” (1-3)
Parent Guide for Recognizing Depression and Suicide
Click here to download A Parent's Guide to Recognizing and Treating Depression in Your Child, printable PDF guide from the Youth Suicide Prevention Program.
Double Your Worry, Double Your Problem
Chaplain's Corner
Do you notice that in today’s complex society there are some fearsome things that can occur? An immediate example, probably fresh in everyone’s minds, is the crash water landing of U.S. Air Flight 1549 an A320 Airbus in the Hudson River minutes after takeoff from La Guardia Airport, just a couple of months ago. Some people also feel they have to worry about the impending dire events that may occur in the future. Consider what Jesus said to His followers: “And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?” (Mt 6: 27). Solomon, king and prophet, respected by Christians, Jews and Moslems, the writer of the Book of Proverbs (12:25), notes: “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down …” Particularly apt are Gandhi’s words: “There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.”[i]
Once again our spiritual ancestors lead the way in pointing out a solution to us “Jesus answered them, “My Father is working still, and I am working.” (Jn 5:17). And as St. James (2:18) counseled: “…and I by my works will show you my faith.”
Psychologists and business consultants have suggested lessons which can be learned from the disastrous plane crash and which can shift us from aimless worry to fruitful work. Clinical science terms this process “meta-cognition” (Flavell, 1976): thinking and ordering your own thinking and then practicing and regulating your behavior (or work).
Chaplain and Pastoral Counseling Archive
