Tom McQueen

From my vantage point, there is no more rewarding ministry than being a hospice chaplain. To be able to share the last months, weeks, days, and minutes of a person’s life is one of the most solemn privileges given to any human being. In addition, having the opportunity to contribute to a meaningful death experience for both patients and their families is a special blessing from God.

During my early years in pastoral care, I was fortunate to be assigned as a chaplain at a children’s cancer center in Buffalo, New York. It was there that I learned from dying children and teenagers the greatest lessons that life and death have to offer. And now, in the autumn of my ministry, God has found a place for me in Tampa Bay where I can continue my ministry as a hospice chaplain.

What I can attest for certain is that every physician, every nurse, every chaplain, social worker, aide, and support staff member—everyone—works passionately as a team to bring their personal and professional character, competence, and compassion to each patient admitted to our service. And with that type of spirit collaborating in harmony as a team, the final days of our patients’ lives are lived among the caring hearts and hands of our dedicated staff.

Reflections of a Hospice Chaplain is a testament to the beauty of life and death as seen through the eyes and the lives of the young and the old, those who have shared the final steps of their journey in this world with me.