Title

Chaplain services

Spiritual and religious services

We are a healing and caring department at VA Boston Healthcare System.

We provide a safe spaces and confidential care, where Veterans of all faith traditions and world views are invited to find and restore a deepening sense of spiritual well-being.

As chaplains, we are clinically trained and come from diverse faith backgrounds and experiences. We believe that no one should have to journey through life alone, and know that there are times when we all need each other for connection, companionship, community and counseling. We honor the full humanity of every Veteran. Therefore, our goal is to support you, as you are, no matter where you have been, what you might have been or are still going through.

Chaplain supportive spiritual care programs and activities:

Spiritual assessment
Bereavement care for loss and grief
Suicide prevention and postvention care
Pre- and post-surgical care
Comfort and counseling (individual and group)
End of life issues
Assistance with major medical and life decision-making
Hospice and palliative care
Military sexual trauma
Moral injury
Post-traumatic stress
Sacramental ministry (communion, anointing of the sick, last rites and more)
Tele-chaplaincy
Whole health
Women Veterans
Risk screening to identify factors that may affect wellness and recovery
Facilitate spiritual issues related to tissue and organ donation
Communication, care and support for caregivers
Facilitate staff communication and team building
Conflict resolution among patients and family members, and staff
Referral to internal and external resources
Employee and family support and counseling
Memorial services
Warrior to soulmate – relationship enrichment program

Religious services:

Baptism
Wedding
Communion
Last rites
Other rites and rituals
Funeral
Worship
Religious and spiritual resources

Chaplains are members of the patient care clinical team:

Participate in medical rounds and patient care conferences
Participate in interdisciplinary education and team meetings
Chart spiritual care interventions on patient’s medical records
Facilitate communication between care teams and patient family

Benefits

Research shows that spiritually active patients experience or report:

Faster healing
Greater coping skills
Reduced pain
Better quality of life

Contact a chaplain

For more information, contact one of our chaplains at 857-203-5125 or 774-826-1125.

Brockton Campus:

Phone: 774-826-1125 or 774-826-2607
Building 24
940 Belmont Street
Brockton, MA 02301
Offices - First Floor
Interfaith Chapel - First Floor, Room 101

Chief of Chaplain Service:

Staff profile

Barry Eneh

Cell Phone: 617-276-4719 (VA Boston Chaplain Service Employee Support Hotline)

Musician:

Heather Peel

Roman Catholic Chaplains:

Chaplain Barry C. Eneh
Chaplain R. Peter Francis
Chaplain Robert E. Roetzel

Protestant Chaplains:

Chaplain Joseph D. Johnson

Jewish Chaplains:

Chaplain Richard D. Messing

West Roxbury Campus:

Phone: 857-203-5125 or 857-203-6814
Building 1
1400 VFW Pkwy
West Roxbury, MA 02132
Offices - Ground Floor, Room GD-122B
Interfaith Chapel - Ground Floor, Room 122

Roman Catholic Chaplains:

Chaplain Bruce N. Teague

Protestant Chaplains:

Chaplain Kyle Wyche

Jewish Chaplains:

Chaplain Richard D. Messing
Chaplain Hali Diecidue

Orthodox Chaplains:

Chaplain Christopher P. Foustoukos

Jamaica Plain Campus

Phone: 857-364-5065 or 774-826-2607
Main Building
150 S Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02130
Offices - Third Floor, Room D127
Interfaith Chapel - Third Floor, Room E3-90A

Orthodox Chaplains:

Chaplain Christopher P. Foustoukos

Interfaith chapels

Brockton VA Campus
Phone: 774-826-1125 or 774-826-2607
Building 24
First Floor
Map of the Brockton campus
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center
D Wing
Third floor
Map of Jamaica Plain campus
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

West Roxbury VA Medical Center
Building 1
Ground floor
Map of West Roxbury campus
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Chapel worship services

All interfaith chapels are open daily for prayer, meditation and reflection.

Brockton campus

Worship services

Roman Catholic

     Sunday Mass
     10:00 a.m. Chapel Building #24
     11:00 a.m. Community Living Center Building #4 - PAUSED due to COVID-19

     Week Day Mass
     11:30 a.m. Monday - Friday Chapel Building #24

Protestant

Sunday Chapel Worship
11:00 a.m. Chapel Building #24

West Roxbury campus

Roman Catholic

Weekday Mass
12:05 p.m. Monday - Friday Chapel Building #1, ground floor, Rm. GB-122

Jamaica Plain Campus

Chapel open daily for prayer, meditation and reflection

Blessed Sacrament Chapel, 3rd floor, Room D127

Meet our chaplains

Chaplains of the VA Boston Healthcare System:

Chaplain Barry C. Eneh, Chaplain Chief (MS, MPH, PhD, BCC-VA): Chaplain Barry is a Board Certified chaplain with graduate-level training in public health management, healthcare administration and integrated marketing communications. He is endorsed by the Archdiocese of Military Services U.S.A. and has 32 years-experience in academia, hospital ministry and community non-profit leadership. His hobbies include soccer, table and lawn tennis, reading and writing.
Chaplain R. Peter Francis (BA, BPhil, MDiv, STL): Chaplain R. Peter Francis is a Roman Catholic Chaplain. He has 35 years of pastoral care/counseling experience including 17 years in VA. He ministers to Veterans who have experienced issues and concerns with mental health, moral and spiritual injuries, addiction and abuse, PTSD and suicide, hospice and palliative care, to name a few. He is a board-certified chaplain from the NCVACC and the NACC-VA and is ecclesiastically endorsed by Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the U.S. Military Services. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, gardening, cooking, reading and singing.
Chaplain Robert Roetzel (BS, MDiv, STM): Chaplain Robert Roetzel is a Roman Catholic Chaplain. He is a retired Army officer who served as a combat engineer and chaplain. He has been a chaplain with the VA for three years. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and reading.
Chaplain Richard D. Messing (BA, MA, PhD): Chaplain Richard D. Messing is a Jewish Chaplain. He has been a chaplain for 35 years. Some of his hobbies include keeping up to date on sports and reading. A fun fact is that he lived in Jerusalem for eight months.
Chaplain Christopher P. Foustoukos (MDiv): Chaplain Christopher Foustoukos is an Eastern Orthodox (Orthodox Christian) Chaplain who is a Veteran of the USAF. He served as a missile launch officer. He has been a chaplain for 23 years at VA Boston. He enjoys gardening and landscaping, travel, and watching the Patriots games, along with spending time with his family.
Chaplain Bruce N. Teague (AB, MDiv): Chaplain Bruce N. N. Teague is a Roman Catholic Chaplain. He grew up in a military family with his father being a career combat naval officer who served in both WWII and the Korean War, and his mother being a WWII Navy veteran. He has been a priest for more than 41 years alongside more than 11 years serving as a chaplain at Academic Teaching Hospitals. In his free time, he enjoys reading, watching movies and live theater, swimming, and hanging out with friends.
Chaplain Joseph D. Johnson (BS, MDiv): Chaplain JJ, Joseph Daniel Johnson, is a Protestant Chaplain and is endorsed by the National Baptist Convention – USA, Inc. He is a retired Navy officer who served the Sea Services as a chaplain. He began his military journey by enlisting in the Air Force and served as a personnel specialist as well as a computer operator. He enjoys family time, music and basketball.
Chaplain Kyle Wyche (BA, MDiv): Chaplain Kyle Wyche is a Protestant Chaplain, endorsed by the Coalition of Spirit Filled Churches. He currently also serves as a chaplain in the Army Reserve. He was previously enlisted on active duty in the Army, where he deployed as a (68W) Healthcare Specialist, commonly known as a “combat medic,” and as a (56M) Religious Affairs Specialist, or “chaplain’s assistant." Kyle enjoys spending time in the outdoors, in the company of family, reading or cooking.
Chaplain Hali Diecidue (MAJS; MEd): Chaplain Hali Diecidue is a Jewish Chaplain with a background in education. Hali has been a chaplain for 25 years with focuses on Trauma-Informed Spiritual Care, Pastoral Care for People with Dementia and Spiritual Care in the LGBTQ communities. Hali plays ice hockey as a goalie, and bakes artisan bread several times each week.