Bilingual Chaplains, a Real Need Beyond a Crisis
In a city as diverse as Anchorage, it is extremely important to have someone who understands the different cultures, languages, and intricacies of navigating the various social systems available to the community.Many people think chaplains only handle religious duties, overlooking the diverse roles they play. But community chaplains break the mold—fully immersing themselves in the lives of those they serve and staying by their side long after the crisis fades.
A community chaplain builds close relationships with people from different entities to create support systems. The community receives emotional, spiritual, social, financial, and sometimes religious support from these compassionate individuals, their work also involves visiting people where they are: at home, the hospital, in jail, at church, and sometimes even at their workplace. For Moyce Polanco, a senior pastor at the Bethel Hispanic Church of God for the past 23 years, being a community chaplain does not limit his work and dedication to providing support services to the members of his church. He explained that he decided to be a community chaplain because he saw it as an extension of his pastoral duties, and giving words of hope and peace to those in need complemented his desire to serve. He has been a chaplain since 2014. Knowing that he can connect with people in a compassionate way regardless of religious affiliation and guiding them through a difficult time in their own language allows him to fulfill his desire to help others. “When working with people, it is important to understand that each person’s needs are different. In the case of a relative’s passing, some family members understand what they are going through and accept the process; others are emotionally less strong and need more support. It all depends on the person’s needs at the time,” he explained. During their training, chaplains receive extensive guidance on how to handle suicide, accidents, different age groups or cultures, and, of course, crisis intervention during mental health emergencies. They also visit sick or injured patients and offer companionship. Their support is compassionate and selfless, available 24 hours, and free. Polanco explains, “When I meet with someone, I am not there to judge anyone but to listen, to try and make whomever I am assisting feel peace and hope without going into religious conversations or teachings. There is no time limit to the support I provide. Usually, when I am not asked to come back to visit someone anymore, it is because that person feels strong enough emotionally to go on.” “After someone goes through a crisis, the possibility of developing a mental health episode increases,” Polanco added. To obtain the best outcome during an episode of depression or mental crisis, it is crucial to assist someone in their language so they can understand what is happening without feeling guilty or depressed and agree to receive help. If you think about it, some of these situations are taboo in most cultures.” It is important to have someone available to help navigate the complex world of grief, depression, addiction, or mental health. This is why Polanco has dedicated time to training qualified bilingual members of his church to assist others during a time of need. Anyone who feels the call to be compassionate and helpful to those that need support can become a chaplain. There is a process to follow but if someone is already doing some of that work, taking the next step is not hard. While chaplains are available to anyone in any situation, they need to be truly representative of the community they serve. With Polanco being the only bilingual chaplain, other communities that do not speak English or Spanish are left out. Bert McQueen, a retired chaplain and the founder of Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains, a statewide non-profit organization with about 100 members, explained that through the years, their membership had chaplains that spoke other languages, but since it was several years ago, their bilingual services were not as needed as they would be now, and eventually those chaplains moved out of state. He remembered some of the languages they spoke: Samoan, Korean, and Tagalog. Currently, there is only one chaplain that is bilingual, and he speaks Spanish. McQueen explained that even though the organization started from the need for support services for the peace officers during a crisis, he understood the value of extending such services to the community and how significant it was to assist both. McQueen and Polanco agree that the association would benefit from having more representation in their membership. Anchorage is home to 112 languages, and having more bilingual chaplains available would make their work even more valuable to all. |