ABSTRACT
Widespread use of antibiotics, better immunology, and life-saving medical and surgical interventions make it possible for people to survive acute opportunistic illnesses and infections. As health care professionals begin a new century of progress, caring for the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of the chronic sufferer will present one of the greatest tests for not only health care centers and research institutions, but faith communities as well. It is a situation fraught with irony: even as medical care advances, a growing number of people will continue to join the ranks of the chronically ill. The complex physical and emotional factors of chronic illness are well documented in the literature. What is less understood and researched are the intense spiritual struggles for which many chronic sufferers are ill-equipped. In caring for those who suffer long with chronic illness, the pastoral journey is treacherous and risky.
