1. Clinical Pastoral Education
Sisters Hospital
CPE Program
2157 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214

2. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
CPE is interfaith professional training for ministry. It
brings theological students, ministers and laypersons
of all faiths into supervised encounters with persons in crisis.
Out of an intense involvement with persons in need, and
the feedback from peers and teachers, students develop
new awareness of themselves as persons and of the needs
of those to whom they minister.
Within the interdisciplinary team process of helping
persons, students develop skills in inter-personal and inter-
professional relationships.

3. Program Description Actual practice of ministry to persons
Detailed reporting and evaluation of that practice
Pastoral supervision
A process concept of learning
A theoretical perspective on all elements of the program
An individual contract for learning.
A small group of peers

4. The Individual Learning Contract
A Student’s Learning Contract is personalized and is developed around the following issues:
Personal Growth
Professional Growth
Theological/Spiritual Growth

5. Required Hours 1 Unit = 400 hours At least 100-200 hours
in group process
At least hours
in ministry
4 Units = 1600 hours required for national certification as a chaplain

6. Throughout the unit, students are engaged in learning didactics:
A Didactic is a presentation on a specific topic in which the presenter invites the CPE student to share relevant experience.
All didactics have a theoretical basis. This helps to provide the “why” of the process as well as the intended outcome. Every didactic also has an evaluation component.

7. Verbatim Reports/ Pastoral Consultations
Report of a conversation
with a patient/client
Analysis from psychological, theological sociological, and pastoral perspectives

8. IPR (Interpersonal Relationship Group)
Opportunity to
give and receive feed back.
Lab for looking
at interpersonal
dynamics.

9. Supervisory Conference
Weekly one-on-one with supervisor

10. Ministry Placement Sites
Hospital based:
Ministry sites such as hospitals; nursing homes; home health care and addiction treatment centers
Community based:
Ministry sites such as Soup Kitchens; Refugee Assistance Programs; Community Centers; Prison Ministry; AIDS Ministry; Residential Programs
Congregational Based

11. Schedule of Units Spring Unit January - April Summer Unit May - August
(25 hrs/wk)
Summer Unit
May - August
(40 hrs/wk)
Fall Unit
September – December

12. Sisters Hospital CPE Accreditation
Sisters of Charity Hospital Clinical Pastoral Education Program is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Inc. (ACPE) and affiliated with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission on Certification and Accreditation (USCCB/CCA) Contact Information ACPE 1549 Clairmont Road, Suite 103 Decatur, GA (404) (office) (404) (fax) USCCB/CCA 3211 South Lake Drive, Suite 317 St. Francis, WI (414) (office) (414) (fax) ACPE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. This allows centers to provide educational credits to Seminary and College Students.

13. Certification
Students can be nationally certified as a chaplain after completing 4 units of CPE. In order to obtain certification a student must also have a Masters of Theology or Masters of Divinity degree. The national certifying centers are The Association of Professional Chaplains [APC] and The National Association of Catholic Chaplains [NACC].
In some cases, students who complete less than 4 units of CPE and have completed some theological coursework with a significant amount of ministry experience, are able to obtain work in the area of chaplaincy. However, this is at the discretion of the employer.

14. The Sisters Hospital CPE Program is more than 16 years old!
CPE Facts
The Sisters Hospital CPE Program is more than 16 years old!
More than 250 students have participated in CPE within the Catholic Health System.
Nearly all of the certified hospital chaplains in WNY have participated in the CPE Program within the Catholic Health System.
The CPE Program at Sisters Hospital is the only accredited CPE Program in WNY. The nearest CPE Program in located in Rochester, NY.

15. Application Requirements
A completed application (this includes autobiography & resume)
A $50 application fee
A basic 4 year college degree (may
be waived in leu of ministry
experience)
A minimum of 18 graduate
theological credits
Ability to reflect on ministry and learn from experiences
An admission interview
Adequate background in theology to participate in theological reflection
Ability to participate in an Adult Learning Model

16. Contact Information
Clinical Pastoral Education Department
2157 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214
(office) (fax)
Web information: chsbuffalo.org
Mrs. Cindy Zielinski– Administrative Assistant
Fr. Christopher Okoli-Manager