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vii Preface Undertaking any endeavor where one seeks to be true to the profound task of holding the stories of those who have worked at the face of trauma, and the story of God within that, is a humbling task. I have found none more so than this work, which seeks to describe a model of pastoral care that is integrally connected both to the story of the God in whom that care is grounded and to the stories of those who suffer the realities of our world as well as those who care for them. In the pages of this book you will find the description of a trinitarian pastoral theology reflected in the experience of the chaplains at the 9/11 Temporary Mortuary (T. Mort.) at Ground Zero, which offers a model of pastoral care as “Earth-making/Pain-bearing/Life-giving.” This model has its roots in at least two different locations yet transcends them. A New Zealand Prayer Book—He Karakia Mihinare O Aotearoa was published the year that I decided to discern a sense of vocation as priest by going to seminary. Within the pages of that prayerbook was a version of Jim Cotter’s rewrite of the Lord’s Prayer, describing God as “Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,” which is the model that will be described in this book. In the years that followed I was witness to the way that image has captured and transformed the imagination of pastors, parishioners, and liturgists both in this country and in many places around the world. It is an image that seems to speak so well to the relationship of God to humanity in a theologically sound yet down-to-earth way. It is an image that plays with me particularly as I have encountered the tougher parts of my ministry as a psychiatric chaplain, where “pain-bearing” seems often to be a more prominent part of the vocation of pastoral care than anything else. Over the years I have found myself working out this theology of pastoral care initially on paper table napkins, over coffee, and living it out in the ministry with those incredible individuals who trusted me enough to share their stories and traumas. I am deeply indebted to Jim Cotter for the rich incarnational connections between God and humanity implied by this description of the economic Trinity, which has wound its way around my heart for over twenty years. The seeds for this book, however, began to take shape at another point of discernment . I had just entered the doctoral program at Union Theological Seminary, and was preparing to race from a staff meeting at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City to my first class on “Aggression,” when the first plane hit the first World Trade Center (WTC) tower on September 11, 2001. In the months that followed I was witness both to the trauma experienced by those who “lost” families, friends, and colleagues in the WTC and the transformative love viii Preface of those who cared for the traumatized. I was deeply moved by the work of the men and women of the police and fire departments, corrections services, American Red Cross, other uniformed services, chaplains, and volunteers with whom I was privileged to work alongside and at times to care for at the Armory & Pier 94 Family Assistance Centers, Respite 3, and the Disaster Mortuary. This encounter with suffering and the response to it on the scale we experienced it in New York was transformative for me. Therefore, when I wished to explore what love lived out in reality looks like, it was to this disaster I returned. In seeking to explore this experience I sought to find a group of clergy who had responded likewise, but in an area of disaster spiritual care of which I had not been a part. I am indebted to the clergy who ministered as chaplains at the T. Mort. whose stories are the music behind the theological words that frame this discussion of pastoral care and theology. Through their participation these chaplains showed a commitment to the ongoing development and understanding of disaster spiritual care, while holding with immense care and respect the “sacred stories” of their encounters with those individuals who worked on recovery at Ground Zero in New York. I particularly am grateful to the thirty-three chaplains who were generous enough to share their experience with me in questionnaire and those who were interviewed. I...

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