The Johns Hopkins Hospital Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently providing limited religious services. Catholic mass is held on Thursdays at 12 p.m. outside next to the fish pond in the Peterson Family Courtyard. All other services are temporarily suspended.
The Bunting Interfaith Chapel remains open 24 hours a day, with a capacity of 16 people.
'Christus Consolator,' or 'The Divine Healer' located in the lobby of the Billings Administration Building.Our full-time chaplains, community clergy and other staff members can provide patients, families and friends of all faiths spiritual care and chaplaincy, sacramental ministries, help with advance directives, and other spiritual support.
Our spiritual care and chaplaincy team includes Protestant ministers, Roman Catholic priests, an Episcopal priest, and others who can be contacted upon request, including a Jewish rabbi, Buddhist priest, Muslim imam, and Hindu pandit.
To speak with a chaplain or to request a spiritual caregiver of a particular faith:
- Call 410-955-5842, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Call 410-955-4331 for urgent needs at other times
- Or ask your nurse to contact a chaplain
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The Bunting Interfaith Chapel hosts weekly worship services and is open 24 hours a day, providing a serene place for prayer, meditation and reflection. Located in the Main Level/Arcade of the Zayed Tower, the chapel is open to people of every faith who seek spiritual shelter.
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The Johns Hopkins Hospital provides weekly worship services and around-the-clock pastoral care. Your own clergy person, faith community leader or spiritual counselor is also welcome in the hospital.
Catholic Mass
A listing of services in local Catholic parishes may be found on the Archdiocese of Baltimore website. Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy staff (410-955-5842) can also can also give you information about the most convenient parishes to the hospital campus.
The Sunday Mass will be held at 1:00 pm in the Bunting Family Interfaith Chapel, as will the Mass on Wednesday at 12 noon.
Jewish Minyan
Monday through Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Bikur Cholim Kosher Hospitality Suite, Blalock 175, which is open at all times to patients and family members in need of quiet space and kosher snacks. Bikur Cholim, a volunteer auxiliary service, provides this ministry.
Kosher meal offerings are available in the Cobblestone Café retail area. Additionally, patients and guests visiting in patient rooms may order kosher meals by calling 410-502-3663, no later than 6 p.m. (6:30 p.m. for patients).
Muslim Jumu'ah
Congregational prayer on Friday at 1:15 p.m. in the Bunting Family Interfaith Chapel.
Sunday Time with the Chaplain
A Chaplain will be available on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. in the Bunting Family Interfaith Chapel for prayer, reflection and sharing sacred texts.
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Mr. Thomas Y. (Ty) Crowe, II, M.Div., B.C.C.
Director of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy
Phone: 410-955-5842
Email: [email protected]He is an ordained teacher in the Shadhiliyya Sufi Order, and is a certified ACPE Educator. Prior to coming to The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Ty served as Coordinator of Clinical Pastoral Education at Sutter Medical Center, in Sacramento, California, for four years and was a part-time chaplain for the Sutter Center for Psychiatry. He has supervised CPE students at Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Florida; at Vitas Hospice in Ormond Beach, Florida; and at Tallahassee Memorial in Tallahassee. Ty has a particular interest in chaplaincy research and quality improvement, and is a Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Rev. Matt Norvell, DMin., M.S., B.C.C.
Pediatric Chaplain and Clinical Manager
Phone: 410-955-5842
Email: [email protected]Rev. Matt Norvell is a Pediatric Chaplain and Clinical Manager in the Department of Spiritual Care at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is endorsed and ordained in the Alliance of Baptists denomination. He currently also serves on the pediatric palliative care team, and is the education chair for the Johns Hopkins Hospital ethics committee. He provides leadership support for the Johns Hopkins Hospital RISE (Resilience in Stressful Events) Team which provides trained peer support for employees who encounter stressful, patient related events. Matt is one of the co-developers and presenters of the Caring for the Caregiver curriculum which assists other health care institutions to establish their own peer support programs.
The Rev. Rhonda S. Cooper, M.Div., B.C.C.
Chaplain of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Phone: 410-502-1500
Email: [email protected]The Chaplain of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and an ordained clergy member of The Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. She graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and holds a master of divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. She served as a pastor for 15 years before becoming a hospital chaplain, and is a Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains.
The Rev. John V.P.R. Ponnala, M.A., B.D., B.C.C.
Family Advocate Coordinator and Surgery Chaplain
Phone: 410-502-7617
Email: [email protected]The Family Advocate Coordinator and Surgery Chaplain, is an ordained Lutheran minister of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church of India, and is a Board Certified Chaplain through APC. John holds a masters of arts degree in history, and a bachelor of divinity degree from the Ecumenical Seminary of The United Theological College in Bangalore, India. He also holds a diploma in the Ecumenical Movement from the Bossey Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland, and advocates for the Dalit people (“untouchables”) of India. John serves as the Area Certification Chair for Association of Professional Chaplains, which includes Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as serving as a commission member of the Board of Certification of Chaplaincy Inc.
The Rev. Kat Kowalski, M.Div., B.C.C.
Neonatal ICU Chaplain and Perinatal Palliative Care Support
Phone: 410-955-7280
Email: [email protected]Serves as the Neonatal ICU Chaplain in the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, providing care to the very youngest hospital patients and their families. She is a valued member of the pediatric team with expertise in perinatal palliative care and ministry. An ordained interfaith minister, Kat received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and women's studies from University of Maryland at College Park, and was awarded the master of divinity degree from Starr King School for the Ministry (Berkeley, California). The video Holding Space: Palliative Care in the NICU highlights Kat's work.
Rabbi Naftali Rabinowitz
Jewish Chaplain
Phone: 410-955-8538
Email: [email protected]Serves as the Jewish Chaplain for the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Rabbi Rabinowitz received his graduate level degree in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland. He completed a Clinical Pastoral Education chaplain residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2021, preparing him to respond to the needs of people of all faiths and religious backgrounds within Judaism. Rabbi Rabinowitz works closely with Bikur Cholim of Baltimore staff and volunteers to meet the needs of Jewish patients in the hospital. He was born in Jerusalem, Israel, a member of the Hasidic sect of Orthodox Judaism, and relocated with his family to Baltimore at the age of eight. He is fluent in English, Hebrew and Yiddish.
Moira Bucciarelli, MTS, BCC
Outpatient Oncology Chaplain
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer CenterPhone: 443-287-2900
Email:[email protected] Serves patients with cancer and their caregivers in the ambulatory settings at Johns Hopkins Weinberg and Viragh buildings, Bayview and Green Spring Station. Moira has been trained in compassion-based spiritual care at Emory University as a spiritual health fellow in outpatient oncology. She graduated with a bachelor of arts from Oberlin College, and earned a masters’ in theological studies from Boston College. She is recently board certified with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. She previously worked as a writer and editor in spirituality, biblical studies, and religion.
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Emotional and Spiritual Support
People often turn to a Higher Power for comfort and support during treatment. When you are ill, you may want to pray with a chaplain. Chaplains can provide emotional and spiritual support while you are in the hospital, by:
- Listening with respect and without judgment
- Facilitating discussion of difficult events
- Providing partnership in prayer
- Offering comfort in times of distress and anxiety
- Respecting your religious traditions and spiritual practices
- Supporting your family and friends
Religious Rituals and Resources
At The Johns Hopkins Hospital, you will have access to:
- Scheduled worship services
- Resources such as Bibles, rosaries, and Shabbat candles
- Sacraments and rituals (baptisms, blessings, naming ceremonies, Holy Communion, Annointing of the Sick, Sacrament of Reconciliation)
- Assistance with completing an advance directive/living will
- Conversations about end-of-life decisions