MANNA Community Chaplain

Summary: MANNA (Many Angels Needed Now and Always) is a ministry of, by, to, and with people experiencing homelessness on and near Boston Common. MANNA is a community of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Episcopal), which works closely with other service providers and city agencies. MANNA’s regular program days are Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. MANNA is operational on all Monday holidays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Individual and Communal Care (70%)

• Work collaboratively with the MANNA team to ensure that the community as a whole is receiving care.
• Work collaboratively with MANNA Program Director to provide support for staff, volunteers, and interns.
• Work collaboratively with MANNA Program Director to design and implement community programs and activities.
• Assist in the day-to-day operations of all MANNA programs including seasonal and extra worship services (memorials, etc.) and community events (Winter Walk, Walk for Hunger, retreats of any kind, etc.).
• Accompany community members as needed to bus/train station or appointments (housing, medical, crisis intervention teams), making hospital or jail visitations, in collaboration with MANNA team.
• Help reduce harm by being fully present with eyes on the community as a whole, defusing conflict, intervening when necessary to keep drugs and alcohol out of the space, managing tensions and encouraging the community to be “pillars of peace,” and, if necessary, asking community members to leave for the day.
• Facilitate community meetings and groups in rotation with MANNA team.

Community Coordination Support (20%)

• Support Monday Lunch Program relationships with Parish Partners and volunteers in collaboration with MANNA team.
• Support MANNA team with donation management, organization, and distribution.
• Orient and direct volunteers during program hours in collaboration with MANNA team.
• Support MANNA team with fundraising and development, including contributing to the quarterly MANNA newsletter, Dispatches.

Wider Cathedral Community (10%)

• Attend Cathedral staff meetings.
• Participate in Cathedral programs (i.e.: Sunday morning worship and special events).

Qualifications: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• MDiv, MTS, or MSW required; at least 1 unit of CPE preferred
• 1 year of Pastoral experience in a religious setting
• Excellent interpersonal, mediation and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Comfort working with people who are experiences homelessness, substance use disorders, and / or mental illness
• Comfort working in a religious setting and across differences of class, race, gender and faith traditions
• A commitment to anti-oppression practices
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, Microsoft Word, Power Point)
• Spanish language proficiency preferred but not required

Physical Requirements:

• An ability to lift 25 lbs.
• An ability to be on your feet for extended periods
• An ability to travel to a variety of locations to visit community members

Work Environment

The Cathedral serves people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, including unhoused persons, in a busy urban neighborhood. We are committed to celebrating belonging, equity, inclusion and diversity within and among our congregations, employees and visitors, and candidates must be able to affirm these commitments. We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. MANNA serves a diverse community of people who have experienced/are experiencing trauma and need strong support to be successful in community. De-escalation training and trauma-informed care training are part of orientation for MANNA employees.