Meet the Director and Team — Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Vincent Medical Center

From the Program Director

The CPE Program at Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center would like to extend a warm welcome to you as a potential CPE student and member of our spiritual care team. Thank you for your interest in CPE and in our training program. 

Students who complete the program:

  • Deepen their self-awareness, relational abilities and compassionate presence 
  • Learn to accompany people during times of anxiety, grief and loss
  • Gain self-understanding about the formative experiences, core values and personal identities influencing their care 
  • Learn skills for relational attunement and group leadership
  • Gain experience offering person-centered spiritual care for use in fields such as religious leadership, medicine, nonprofit work, organizational management and counseling
  • Pursue work as a chaplain in hospital, hospice, prison, military or educational contexts 
  • Pursue board certification as a professional chaplain (requires four CPE units)

What makes our program stand out?

  • Hospital mission to serve the poor, dying, and underserved
  • Spirituality recognized by hospital ministry as an integral component of whole-person health
  • Gain extensive Level I trauma experience
  • Chaplains valued as part of hospital’s interdisciplinary team
  • Function as part of larger Spiritual Care department
  • Staff chaplains and spiritual care leaders act as learning partners during the CPE experience
  • Opportunities to learn about and support advance care planning
  • The possibility of clinical placements at other Mercy Health hospitals

If you would like to learn more about our CPE program, or if you are discerning whether CPE might be a good fit for you at this point in your life, please reach out for more information. We look forward to hearing from you.

Program Supervisor


Stephen A. Speakman, MDiv, ACPE Certified Educator | Program Supervisor 

Contact Us

Program Coordinator: Kim McClung
Email: kim_mcclung@mercy.com
Phone: 419-251-4650