Published on: Monday 02 Sep 2024 at 14:49
St Clare Hospice has welcomed Reverend Becky Leach as the charity’s new Chaplain
Revd Becky joins the Hastingwood-based Hospice from St Stephen’s Church in St Albans, where she served as the vicar for eight years.
In her new role as St Clare’s chaplain, Revd Becky sits within the Hospice’s multidisciplinary Patient and Family Support Team, which offers a range of supportive services for those who have a terminal or long-term condition that can’t be cured.
As chaplain, she will be on hand to offer spiritual and pastoral support to St Clare patients and their family members and friends, as well as fostering connections with other local faith and community leaders.
“I have always enjoyed the pastoral care aspect of my role as a vicar, visiting and spiritually and emotionally supporting people in their homes, care homes, in hospital or at a hospice, and I’ve often wondered about taking on the role in a hospice setting,” she said.
“St Clare puts great emphasis on the chaplain’s role in working with others to provide holistic care to patients, their families as well as the staff.”
On Wednesday 31st July, the Bishop of Bradwell, the Right Reverend Adam Atkinson came to St Clare Hospice to oversee Revd Becky’s licensing ceremony in front of invited guests from local churches and religious groups, St Clare staff and volunteers.
As well as being available to provide a listening ear to St Clare patients and their loved ones, Revd Becky can offer special celebration and ceremonial services for people in the Hospice’s care.
She also helps plan St Clare’s annual Light Up a Life services at Christmas time and will be speaking at the St Clare Learning Together Study Day in November on the theme ‘Spirituality at the End of Life: Faith, Belief and Meaning’.
Before being ordained as a priest in the Church of England, Revd Becky was a geography teacher. She is married to Phil and the couple have three grown up daughters.