Providing Spiritual Care for Everyone: Meet the Spiritual Care and Multi-Faith Centre’s Humanist Chaplain Trevor Lehmann
The University of Manitoba’s Spiritual Care and Multi-Faith Centre (SCMFC), led by the Spiritual Care team, offers spiritual support and programming for students. Open to all students, the SCMFC contributes to student wellness and care through their services. Students may think that faith is an individual experience, or that the SCMFC only represents the voices of religious students, but that is far from the truth. Just as mental health and a sense of community are important pillars of student wellbeing, so is understanding one’s’ place in the world and seeking guidance for some of the more difficult questions students may have. Through interfaith workshops and programming, the SCMFC brings students from various backgrounds together, and ensures everyone feels welcome on campus.
If students are ever in search of spiritual or introspective advice, the SCMFC can direct them to one-to-one counsel with the appropriate spiritual care provider. UM has spiritual care providers for Muslim students, Jewish students, and students of students various Christian denominations such as Lutheran, Mennonite, Ukrainian Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican (the latter two being provided by St. Paul’s College and St. John’s College, respectively) The university also hosts Elders-in-Residence who lead Indigenous centred cultural teaching sessions, ceremonies, and consultation with students.
For irreligious students, the SCMFC still has a role in connecting students to spiritual guidance. Trevor Lehmann has recently been appointed as humanist chaplain for UM’s SCMFC and offers support for students grappling with large, complex, or difficult questions. Commenting on the role of a chaplain, Lehmann summarizes the chaplaincy at UM as follows: “A common misconception is that we [spiritual care providers] have proselytizing role but that is not the case. We draw from our spiritual world view but support students in finding a spiritual world view that meets their needs.”
The focus on spiritual guidance is one often neglected by students. As more Canadians identify as irreligious, especially amongst the younger generation, questions of spirituality, faith, and questions of meaning—typically the domain of religious institutions—are underrepresented for some. Lehmann stresses that “individuals without religious affiliation still grapple with questions of meaning, relationships, ethics, isolation, and other existential concerns.” For him, his role is “providing support and community for staff and students interested in exploring these issues and supporting them in coming to conclusions that can support them in their life going forward.” Taking a spiritual, but non-religious approach, students and staff can better understand themselves and the world around them.
Each individual comes in with their own concerns or questions, and Lehmann explains that there is no one size fits all for helping guide those with questions. As a Humanist chaplain, however, Lehmann facilitates a mutual exploration of those seeking guidance and “Humanist ideas that relate to the 4 E’s”:
- Existential: Questions pertaining to meaning or purpose
- Ethical: Decision-making when there is conflict between values or one’s morals
- Emotional: Creating space to explore beliefs within the full range of emotions.
- Equity: A safe space to inform and support all identities.
Lehmann has been involved with UM for a number of years and brings what he learned from both his education and professional experiences to his support role. During his MEd in Counselling Psychology, he provided interfaith support to patients at the Health Sciences Centre. Upon his return to UM, he participated in interfaith dialogues with the Spiritual Care and Multi-Faith Centre to support staff and students. Recently appointed to Humanist chaplain, his “experience continues to be one of continuous learning as we explore how to best connect students and community, build relations and support people on the journey of life.”
In addition to the work of chaplains and support staff, the SCMFC can connect students to sacred places on campus. These spaces are welcoming environments to support students of various faith backgrounds in their day-to-day life and in addressing spiritual questions. The SCMFC also engages in regular programming, so keep an eye on the website to keep up to date with any wellness events, interfaith dialogues, or supports for students.
To connect with the SCFMC, students can contact the centre via e-mail spiritual care[at]umanitoba.ca or by calling the centre at 204-474-9721. The SCFMC can direct students to the appropriate spiritual advisor for the questions they are grappling with. The centre is open to all, and welcomes people of all backgrounds.