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Department of Spiritual Care

Established in 1977, the Department of Spiritual Care is comprised of full-time ACPE, Inc. Certified Educators, Staff Chaplains, part-time Associate Chaplains, CPE Students, Certified Mindfulness Instructor, and Volunteers. We provide 24-hour spiritual care to a growing healthcare network that is comprised of twelve campuses throughout northeast Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. Our ACPE, Inc.-accredited programs are innovative and collaborative.

  • The central Spiritual Care office is located at the St. Luke’s University Hospital-Bethlehem campus. We have Chapels located at many of our campuses across our network.
  • The Spiritual Care Department serves as a leader in Network-wide education on cultural and spiritual diversity, bioethics and ethical decision-making, resiliency, compassion-based mindfulness and grief and loss.
  • 24/7 in-house chaplaincy coverage at SLUH-B provided by CPE Students, Staff Chaplains, and Associate Chaplains, many of whom are local faith leaders.
  • Mindfulness Programs are provided throughout the year. Mindfulness Practices are skill-based, and you typically learn the practices and skills in an 8-week course. Clinical studies show that mindfulness helps with stress reduction, improvement in depression and anxiety, more balanced eating and decrease in pain sensitivity. Each course encourages you to develop presence, clarity, and emotional positivity. These practices are a wonderful tool to support health and well-being.
  • H.O.P.E. at St. Luke’s is a premier program for the Health, Outreach, Prevention, and Education for persons living with HIV / those at risk for HIV.
  • St. Luke’s Penn Foundation’s primary campus is located in Sellersville, PA and focuses on a community-based behavioral health support system through out-patient care. Penn Foundation’s Recovery Center provides inpatient and outpatient substance abuse rehabilitation services to adults struggling with addiction.
  • Crisis Response Chaplaincy responds to St. Luke’s Allentown, St. Luke’s Anderson, St. Luke’s Monroe County, St. Luke’s Sacred Heart, St. Luke’s Upper Bucks, and St. Luke’s Warren provided by Associate Chaplains.
  • Innovative CPE curriculum provides an intense program of reflection on self and others as we provide spiritual care to patients, families, and staff.
  • Central to our departmental mission: inclusivity and respect for difference within a culture of safety.
  • Promotion of healthy work-life balance across our network.
  • Opportunity for close collaboration with community faith leaders.

Bethlehem Campus Labyrinth

The St. Luke’s Bethlehem’s labyrinth on Ostrum Street, across the street from the School of Nursing. Designed by Tom Fiorini, Director of Landscape Services, and built by his team, it is beautifully and simply made with stone on a grass pathway.

Labyrinths are an ancient symbol representing life’s journey. The oldest discovered labyrinth was found on a clay tablet in Greece, circa 1200 B.C.E., known as the “classical seven-circuit Cretan labyrinth.” The SLB labyrinth was built with this design in mind!

Labyrinths today are increasingly found in health care settings, retreat centers and houses of worship. Multi-disciplinary clinical literature about the use of labyrinths in healthcare settings site these therapeutic benefits:

  • Walking meditation
  • Coping tool
  • Use of silence for self-awareness
  • Problem-solving
  • Calmness and breathing techniques
  • Cognitive functioning and healing

A labyrinth differs from a maze in that it does not have dead ends, forks or obscured visibility. A labyrinth has one way into the center and the same way out. How you walk it and what your goal is differs with each walk and each person. You might walk it to clear your mind or focus your breathing. You might enter it with an intention or a prayer and “leave it” in the center, or you might enter it with a concern or a question and “receive” clarity in the center or on your way out.

In the Medieval period, churches such as Chartres in France began building walkable labyrinths out of inlaid stone in intricate and multi-quadrant and multi-circuit patterns to use for religious pilgrimages, both indoor and outdoor and in varying shapes and sizes. All styles of labyrinths have been discovered in caves and ancient structures, on coins and tablets, and within many spiritual, religious and native traditions. The number of circuits and quadrants are said to be based on symbols in sacred geometry. In a maze, many choices must be made. In a labyrinth, there is only one choice to be made: whether to enter or not.

Please feel free to take advantage of this space and opportunity for peaceful reflection.

Spiritual Care Staff

  • The Rev. Heidi Tierney, M.Div., Network Director of Spiritual Care. A graduate of Drew Theological Seminary, Madison NJ and ordained minister and endorsed for specialized ministries with the Federation of Christian Ministries. She is also a professional member of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC).
  • The Rev. Dr. Natalia A. Shulgina, Manager of Clinical Pastoral Education and ACPE Certified Educator. She is an ordained elder in the Russia United Methodist Church and endorsed by the United Methodist Endorsing Agency in Nashville, TN. Natalia holds a BSN in surgical nursing, PharmD in clinical pharmacology, and PhD in practical theology, bringing a strong interdisciplinary orientation, cultural diversity, and research competency to her CPE supervision.
  • The Rev. James (Jim) Browning , MDiv, is a ACPE Certified Educator. Jim was ordained in 1989 as an elder in the United Methodist Church, having made the transition to the UMC from priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Originally born in Illinois, he has served in the spiritual care field as chaplain, ACPE Certified Educator, and Director of various departments in children’s hospitals, level one trauma centers, prison, and long-term care facilities across the country (California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania).
  • Padma (Colette) Fanning, MS is a Coach and Mindfulness Educator for the St. Luke’s University Health Network. Padma is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and is certified to lead Mindfulness Based Pain Management and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses. She is an Ordained Buddhist in the Triratna Buddhist tradition and a graduate of London University. As the Staff Wellness Leader, she integrates mindfulness and coaching as core strategies for enhancing well-being across the network.
  • Rabbi Eugene Search, M.Div., M.A.J.S., ,M.S. - Pastoral Care & Counseling, Milaveh Ruchani מילבה רוקאני, is the Clinical Coordinator for the network’s spiritual care department and the co-director of the network’s crisis response team. He serves several network-wide committees, including Emergency Management, Ethics, Cancer Council, Gift of Life, and Trauma. Gene is a member of the Reform Jewish congregation Keneseth Israel of Allentown and a professional member of NAJC- Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains and the International Federation of Rabbis. He is a graduate of Gratz College with a Master of Arts in Jewish Studies, and currently enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at South College. He also holds a M.Div. from LTSP, and a M.S.P.C.C. from Neumann University’s Pastoral Care & Counseling program.
  • Judy Gary, After a lifelong career in parish music ministry, along with many years working with special needs children and adults, Judy became a part time employee of the St. Luke’s network in 2020. She now splits her time between the Spiritual Care office and the in-patient Hospice House, fulfilling any and all clerical and administrative assistant duties. A mother of four grown children, she enjoys spending weekends on the receiving end of others’ music, with her semi-retired husband, cuddling with her three little dogs, and most of all, soaking up as much time with her grandchildren as possible.
  • Sister Judith Filorimo, CPS, BCC is the staff chaplain for the St. Luke’s Allentown Campus. Sister is a Board Certified Chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood. She is a graduate of Alvernia University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology.
  • The Rev. Kelly D. Wilkins-Peterson, M.Div. is the staff chaplain for HOPE at St. Luke's Bethlehem and Easton clinics. She is ordained and endorsed by American Baptist Churches USA. Kelly Wilkins is a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary and United State Army Chaplain School.
  • The Rev. Fr. Eric Johnson, M.Div is the staff chaplain for the St. Luke’s Anderson Campus. He received his M.Div. from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now known as The United Lutheran Seminary) and is ordained in the American Old Catholic Church.
  • The Rev. Sue Conrad Howes, M.A., M.Div. is the Staff Chaplain at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation. She is a graduate of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, IN and is ordained in Mennonite Church USA.
  • Rev. Grace Newswanger, MA Staff Chaplain at the Upper Bucks/Quakertown and Warren, NJ campuses. Prior to working as a chaplain, Grace worked as the Director of a Community Center in Allentown, PA while completing an M.A. in Chaplaincy at Moravian Theological Seminary. Grace is an ordained minister and endorsed for specialized ministries with the Federation of Christian Ministries.
  • Erika Brown, S. D. Staff chaplain for the Carbon and Orwigsburg campuses, in addition to supporting our Miners and Lehighton campuses as needed and spirituality group for the behavior health unit. She is ordained by the Swedenborgian Church in Australia and endorsed by the General Church of the New Jerusalem. She is a graduate of the Australian College of the New Church. Erika is a professional member of the Spiritual Care Association.
  • Rev. Dr. Elrica Adams-Finney, DMin BCC Staff Chaplain at the Monroe Campus. Elrica has been working as a chaplain for 7+ years, with experience working as a chaplain on Level I trauma teams, with patients/families end of life care and anxiety containment dealing with health challenges. She has completed research exploring hospital and clinical settings in South Africa, interfaith spiritual immersions and archaeology digs in Israel to enhance her overall patient care experience. Elrica earned her Masters of Divinity from Moravian University and her Doctorate in Ministry from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Elrica is an ordained minister and endorsed for specialized ministries with the Federation of Christian Ministries.
  • Christopher Henderson, is ordained and endorsed for chaplaincy through The Wesleyan Church. He obtained his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and has worked in several different hospital settings, including the completion of one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education with St. Luke’s. In his time outside of work Chris enjoys cooking, going on walks with his wife and dog, and watching the Phillies.

If you are interested in our Clinical Pastoral Education program, please click here.