Silent corridors. Delicate diagnoses. Anxious families. In hospitals, not all pain shows up in exams. Some of it is in the eyes, in the silence, in the fear of what might happen. It is in this space that the hospital chaplain works, transforming faith and presence into comfort, strength, and hope.

At the Silvestre Adventist Hospital (Hospital Adventista Silvestre, HAP), part of Adventist Health Brazil, chaplaincy services play a key role in offering comfort during difficult moments.

Renan Castro, a chaplain at the hospital, has supported many families during times of illness and loss.

“He was present in my life during a very difficult time, when my mother was hospitalized. Unfortunately, she ended up passing away here in the hospital, and throughout that period, the pastor was by our side, visiting my mother while she was still bedridden, and offering support to our family. Always with prayers, a gesture of affection, or a hug. In her last moments of life, she asked for peace. I believe that, through Pastor Renan's prayers, that wish was granted,” says Aline Fonseca Blanco, daughter of one of the patients in the hospital unit.

Chaplaincy ministry recognized

To strengthen spiritual support in the hospital environment, the institution hosted a pastoral ordination ceremony on February 7, 2026, in its outdoor auditorium. The event marked the first such ceremony in the hospital’s 83-year history.

Wladimir Gonçalves, director of spiritual development at the hospital, explained the significance of chaplaincy ministry.

“As the name itself suggests, [a chaplain] is one who takes care of the chapel, a religious minister who acts by offering spiritual assistance. In Catholic settings, this role is performed by a priest; in evangelical or Protestant contexts, like ours, by a pastor. This first ordination demonstrates the value that the Church has given to this ministry. Chaplaincy today is a recognized and organized work, in which chaplains are ordained within the hospitals where they serve,” explains Gonçalves.

The ceremony was attended by leaders from different levels of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, including the Adventist General Conference, the South American Division, Adventist Health Brazil, and the Rio de Janeiro Conference.

A Specialized Ministry of Care

According to Ivan Omaña, director of Chaplaincy Ministries for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the ordination underscores the importance of pastoral ministry in environments of care and suffering, highlighting how faith and spirituality can serve as instruments of healing and emotional support.

“The chaplaincy ministry is a specialized ministry, which is why we say it’s different from the regular ministry of other pastors. The work of a pastor-chaplain isn’t very visible, but it touches many lives. Chaplains reach places where no one else could. In my sermon, I said that many don’t remember who the pastor was who visited them, but they remember who the chaplain was who stood by their side during times of crisis and in the midst of pain,” Omaña emphasized.

The role of the pastor-chaplain goes beyond prayers. He accompanies patients before delicate surgeries, offers support after unexpected diagnoses, is present during times of grief, and also cares for the medical team, strengthening everyone.

The Silvestre Adventist Hospital has a group of chaplains that includes the institution's director of spiritual development and three pastor-chaplains, among them Renan Castro.

“Just imagining that a chaplain is present at a moment when perhaps no one else will be, in silence, perhaps being the last phrase, the last presence that the person can have of Jesus; in their last moments of life. Understanding what suffering is and being able to bring peace and light that only Jesus can provide. It is an honor to begin the ministry with the ministry of chaplaincy. Saving is not only physical, but spiritual. Because spiritual salvation brings us eternity alongside Jesus, and that is all that matters,” concluded Castro.

Amid prayers, embraces, and words of guidance, Castro was officially ordained to the pastoral ministry, alongside his wife Poliana.

About the institution

Founded in 1942, the Silvestre Adventist Hospital is a philanthropic institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and part of the global Adventist Health network, which operates more than 2,300 healthcare units worldwide. The hospital is recognized in Brazil for its work in transplant procedures and medical innovation.

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese news site.