AJR Joins with Overlook Hospital Foundation to Honor Rabbi Horn and the Pastoral Care Department of Overlook Hospital
The Academy for Jewish Religion and The Overlook Hospital Foundation are pleased to jointly sponsor an important and unique event honoring the decades of service provided by Rabbi William Horn and Overlook’s entire Pastoral Care Department, led by Sister Patricia Murphy, SSJ to the hospital’s patients, their families, the staff and the entire community served by the hospital.
A reception will be held at the hospital on Sunday, June 6, 2010 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm to recognize the dedicated service of Rabbi Horn and Sister Pat as well as the tremendous contributions of the entire Pastoral Care Department. This unique department includes the oldest and one of the largest Clinical Pastoral Education programs in New Jersey, which is led by The Rev. Dr. Catherine Bickerton.
Proceeds of the event will be equally directed to fund special projects of Overlook’s Pastoral Care Department and the Academy’s training of students in areas of chaplaincy, counseling and spiritual care. Click here to make a donation online.
Overlook Hospital
Overlook Hospital, a member of the Atlantic Health network, is a nationally recognized regional medical center providing world class clinical care and unsurpassed patient safety in a healing, family centered environment. Overlook houses such widely-recognized units as the Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute and the Goryeb Children’s Center. Throughout its history Overlook has also been committed to providing the full range of care that its patients require, importantly including spiritual care. Its Pastoral Care Department is recognized as unique in the area, providing patients and families with round-the-clock access to clergy of all religious traditions and housing one of the largest pastoral care education units in the state.
Sister Patricia Murphy, SSJ
Manager, Overlook Hospital Pastoral Care Department
Sister Pat entered the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania in 1955. A graduate of Chestnut Hill College, she received a Masters Degree in education and administration from Seton Hall University. After twenty-five years as an educator, including six as a principal, she joined the Pastoral Care Department at Overlook, which she has served since 1982. Her job, she says, allows her ‘to help people in good times and bad; to be there for people when they are in need.’
Rabbi William Horn
Chaplain, Overlook Hospital Pastoral Care Department
Rabbi Horn was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1962 where he also earned a Masters Degree in Hebrew Letters. He received a joint BA in Hebrew Culture and Psychology from New York University and a Masters in counseling from Yeshiva University before beginning his study for the rabbinate. Rabbi Horn served as rabbi of the Summit Jewish Community Center from 1962 until his retirement in 2005. He was the first Jewish chaplain at Overlook, serving as a volunteer for twenty-five years before joining the staff of the Pastoral Care Department. Rabbi Horn has been chaplain of the Summit Police Department since 1962. He considers the mitzvah of bikkur cholim (the command that Jews visit and comfort the sick) to be among the highest of the duties that we all share, whatever our religious affiliation.
The Academy for Jewish Religion
Since its founding in 1956 as a rabbinical school, The Academy for Jewish Religion has been at the forefront of pluralistic rabbinic and cantorial training. Our teachings respectfully span the full spectrum of Judaism; our faculty and students cross denominational lines, representing the entirety of the Jewish community. Our graduates serve as rabbis, cantors, chaplains, educators and administrators throughout the US and around the world. AJR is the only seminary committed to training rabbis and cantors as equal partners in spiritual leadership. All AJR students are trained in pastoral care, counseling and spiritual guidance. Many participate in Clinical Pastoral Care programs, such as those at Overlook Hospital, and many go on to careers in pastoral care and chaplaincy.
