Spiritual Care Staff
Our hospital chaplains are ministers specialized in providing pastoral and spiritual care. They can be helpful in sorting out spiritual and emotional needs and offering grief support. They are available to listen and talk with you, to pray with you, and to assist in finding other sources of help.
When you are affected by health-related crises, managing your spiritual and emotional needs is an important part of your care. We have several resources available when these needs arise. Please let your nurse or caregiver know you would like to visit with a Hospital Chaplain.
Worship Services
We offer one Catholic Mass and one Interfaith service every week at our hospital for our patients, visitors, and staff. Both ceremonies are held in the Schweitzer Chapel located on the first floor of the hospital diagonally across from the Reilly pavilion. Our Catholic Mass is on Tuesdays from 12-12:30 pm and is led by several local Catholic priests in the area. The Interfaith service is held on Thursdays from 12-12:30 pm and is led by our team of chaplains.
These services are available to bring the comfort of faith closer to people at the hospital. They are a great way to refresh the soul and lift your spirit.
Our Spiritual Care Team:
George Colón, Jr., BCC, MTS – Director of Spiritual Care and Values Integration
Erica Martinez – Senior Administrative Assistant
Jerrad Toups, BCC, M.Div. – Senior Chaplain
Elvin Fortune, BCC, M.Div. – Staff Chaplain
David Lieberman, BCC, M.Div. – Staff Chaplain
Dexter Phillip, BCC, M.Div., MA, MSW – Staff Chaplain
Gabriel Malouf, BCC, M.Div. – Staff Chaplain
Gladys Valles, MA, MS – PRN Chaplain
Our chaplains are Board-Certified ministers who specialize in spirituality, emotional, relational, and spiritual support. A chaplain is available to listen and talk with you, to pray with you, and to help find other sources of support for you.
If you wish to have a minister or other clergy from your personal place of worship visit you, we want to assist you in contacting them. If you would like to have a Catholic priest provide the Anointing of the Sick or the Sacrament of Confession, we can secure a local priest to officiate the Sacrament. If you want Holy Communion, this is also available from several sources.
Spiritual Care Volunteers
In addition to our chaplains, the department is supported by 12 Spiritual Care Volunteers from different faith traditions. They visit and provide support for our patients every week and bring comfort to patients with longer stays at the hospital. Our Catholic patients can receive Holy Communion from Catholic volunteers.
We provide interfaith training to all our volunteers. If you are interested in joining or would like additional information on how to become a Spiritual Care Volunteer, please email us at HMBspiritualcare@houstonmethodist.org. No prior experience in hospital visitation is required.
How to Contact a Chaplain
Every Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, chaplains are available throughout the hospital. On-call chaplains are accessible for emergencies after 5 pm on weekdays and throughout the weekend. There are several ways to reach a chaplain. You can either inform your nurse or call the Spiritual Care Department at (281) 420-8811 or dial the hospital operator at (281) 420-8600.
Online Resources
In addition to our spiritual offerings at Houston Methodist, additional religious services and institutions are available for your needs:
Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
Association of Professional Chaplains
Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
National Association of Catholic Chaplains
Oates Institute
John Templeton Foundation
Jewish Federation of Greater Houston
National Institute for Health Care Management
Islamic Society of Greater Houston
Texas Out-of-Hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) Program