Responsibilities To Those To Whom We Minister

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

John 13:14-15.

The Catholic school chaplains of Ontario covenant with one another for the benefit of the people with whom and for whom we minister:

1.       To promote a better understanding of pastoral counselling and spiritual direction in Catholic
education , especially as it differs from psychological counselling and psychiatric assistance.

2.       To respect the limits of our academic qualifications in the practice of spiritual counselling.

3.       To acknowledge the limits of our academic qualifications to our supervisors and to those we counsel.

4.       To clarify with those we counsel what realistic outcomes can be expected from any counselling process.

5.       To respect and not supplant the work of qualified guidance, social work, or psychology personnel of our boards.

6.       To work collaboratively with other professionals in our school system and to actively seek the advice of other professionals in difficult cases.

7.       To respect the confidentiality and privacy of those we counsel, as far as legally possible and unless serious harm would ensue.

8.       To clarify with those we counsel the limits of confidentiality.

9.       To acknowledge that lay chaplains do not have any special privileges like the "seal of the confessional."

10.     To refer students, with their permission, to other professionals when their issues go beyond our competencies.

11.     To gain permission from those we counsel prior to discussing their case with another professional or supervisor.

12.     To store any files securely and to dispose of them with due diligence.

13.     To inform ourselves of the laws on child abuse and to report suspected cases according to our board policies.

14.     To recognize that a pastoral relationship involves an imbalance of power and to not abuse that trust.

15.     To establish appropriate boundaries between ourselves and those we counsel, not fostering dependent relationships.

16.     To refrain from any romantic involvement and physical relationships with those we counsel and minister.

17.     To accept all staff and students without discrimination and without reference to religious or ethnic background.

18.     To promote church teaching in counselling situations.

19.     To be aware of our own psychological issues and to seek out appropriate care for our own personal problems.

20.     To seek feedback from the staff and students with whom we minister.

21.     To exercise good stewardship with the funds in our budgets and with monies entrusted to us for charitable purposes.

Responsibilities To Our Colleagues

"For we are God's servants working together."  

1 Corinthians 3:9

The Catholic school chaplains of Ontario covenant with each other for the benefit of our colleagues:

1.       To acknowledge that many gifts are present in the Christian community and that effective ministry calls for a collaborative style.

2.       To share leadership and work cooperatively with our lay and ordained colleagues, respecting their different charisms, spiritualities, qualifications and ministries.

3.       To recognize that school chaplains answer directly to the local school administration and to keep them appraised of their work within the school.

4.       To encourage evaluation from superiors and to welcome job performance reports.

5.       To be accountable to the board, staff, and students in which we work and the church in which we minister.

6.       To refrain from being judgmental about the faith lives of staff members and other colleagues, especially in public forums.

7.       To promote reconciliation and healing among those who feel alienated from the church community.

8.       To reach out with compassion and concern to colleagues who appear to be suffering or in difficulty in their ministry or personal life.

9.       To participate, as much as possible, in associations of peers at the board, diocesan, and provincial level, including CSCO and meetings with local school chaplains.

10.     To plan, work, and review in a collegial manner, in consultation with colleagues, superiors, other staff, local clergy, and students, not in isolation.

11.     To seek out and engage in collegial relationships, recognizing that isolation can lead to a loss of perspective and judgment.

12.     To maintain the practice of exchanging ideas, networking, and sharing resources with other school chaplains and with other board and diocesan personnel.

13.     To show sensitive regard, within the parameters of our religious affiliation, for the differences of race, culture, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, age, and religion of other individuals and societies.

14.     To respect the ministry of our predecessors and to refrain from interfering in the ministry of our successors.