Jacquetta Gomes, a Fire Services Chaplain in the UK writes, “Every time I serve as a chaplain I learn and this helps me develop my Buddhist practice, which in turn assists my role as a fire chaplain.”
There are Five Chaplaincy Principles, which Chaplains follow:
- The Chaplain maintains a spiritual life
- The Chaplain will not proselytise
- The Chaplain will be ecumenical in approach
- The Chaplain works across faith groups
- The Chaplain keeps their skills up to date
It is essential that Chaplains are trusted as people who live by ethical standards, and it is therefore, particularly striking that this trust is enhanced not just by the fact that Chaplains are people of faith, but also that they take on the role of Chaplain as volunteers, financially independent of the organisation that they serve. In 2014 I was invited to become a Fire and Rescue Service Fire Chaplain by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, and later in the year was recognised as the first female Buddhist Fire Chaplain in the world by the organisation Sakyadhita: Daughters of the Buddha, International Association of Buddhist Women.
In her book Women in British Buddhism, Caroline Starkey also acknowledged me as the first female Buddhist Fire Chaplain, and I have been included in other lists of First Women. In 2015, during Interfaith Week, The Fire Fighters Charity invited me to Jubilee House, the Charity’s residential centre in Penrith, to launch a new and much welcomed multi-faith chaplaincy support service, with myself as the Chaplain. The Charity had been very supportive of my Father who joined London Fire Brigade in the 1930s, and I was delighted to offer support.
Buddhism is a religion which seeks to achieve peace within ourselves, and for all living beings. I hope that decades of Buddhist practice, including meditation and mindfulness, will always provide me with the learning and the experience to bring peace and solace to those searching for these qualities in their lives. I find it reassuring that some people I have encountered in Chaplaincy comment on the sense of stillness that I carry with me, which in turn promotes a calm presence and an environment for listening. The Four Brahma Viharas Sublime States/ Divine Abodes (loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity) are central to Buddhist practice. These qualities also help me to offer befriending support and to treat everyone I encounter in Chaplaincy with respect.
As a member of the Spiritual Care Association (SCA) and the First Responder Chaplain Division (FRCD) Advisory Committee, I attend the monthly SCA FRCD’s Community of Chaplains Group. Here I have the opportunity to engage with other Buddhist Chaplains and Chaplains from other faiths, and to feel part of multi-faith engagement in Chaplaincy. In June 2022, I received a Certificate of Completion from SCA FRCD which states that I had: “…successfully completed the Crisis, Trauma, and First Response Certificate Course for Chaplains”.
The Buddhist and Chaplaincy training I have received enables me as a Buddhist Teacher and Fire Chaplain to fully serve Buddhism (the most important part of my life), and to serve The Fire and Rescue Service and The Firefighters Charity.
Fire Chaplains can take part in religious and other rituals on request, and I have performed blessings for people in this capacity when they have requested it: I have also led Commemorations for Firefighters Memorial Day on 4th May. These are secular events open to everyone from any faith or none. The Firefighters Prayers from Buddhism and Christianity, the Prayer to St Florian for firefighters, as well as religious, spiritual and secular readings are included.
Every time I serve as a Chaplain, I learn and this helps me develop my Buddhist practice, which in turn assists my role as a Fire Chaplain. I have been encouraged that many people have said that they feel that my role as a Chaplain is important and they would like to have access to more Fire Chaplaincy. I hope that my role may inspire them.
From The Fire Fighters Charity:
The Fire Fighters Charity supports serving and retired members of the Fire Services Community and their dependants, providing a range of health and wellbeing services to meet physical, mental and social health needs.
In recognising the needs of those accessing Charity services, and feelings of uncertainty and worry experienced by many following injury or illness, The Fire Fighters Charity wanted to explore how they could introduce pastoral support to its residential centres. After much discussion and consultation, the launch of the multi-faith chaplaincy took place in Inter Faith Week 2015 in Penrith, Cumbria.
Mindful of the diverse range of beneficiaries accessing the Charity’s support there was a need to be inclusive and Jacquetta Gomes has been able to offer the multi-faith pastoral support that the Charity was looking for. Sharon Bailey: Director of Beneficiary Services writes: “Jacquetta has been incredibly supportive of The Charity and mindful of the needs of the beneficiaries accessing our residential programme at Jubilee. She has provided an inclusive focus of support for beneficiaries of all faiths and none”.
For more information, see
↦ First Responder Chaplains
↦ Spiritual Care Magazine
↦ The Fire Fighters Charity
Photographs © Jacquetta Gomes
