Spiritual Care Counselor Rev. David Ramos talks with HTI Open Plaza’s managing editor and poet Marta Lucía Vargas on pastoral work, death and faith during the COVID-19 pandemic

*Marisol Escobar,* The Party, 1965-66, Dr. Halona Norton-Westbrook, *Toledo Museum of Art* *and Dr. Steven Zucker, in Smarthistory, April 6, 2019,* *https://smarthistory.org/marisol-party/*.

In this episode of OPTalks, spiritual care counselor Reverend David Ramos shares his experiences providing pastoral and chaplaincy support at VNS Health, formerly Visiting Nurse Services, during the COVID-19 pandemic in NYC.

The dialogue delves into the challenges pastors and chaplains faced as they navigated trauma, fear, and grief within their communities during a time of widespread illness, political unrest, and societal distress. Rev. Ramos highlights the unique struggles of pastoral work at this time, from dealing with congregational fears around death to addressing the theological dilemmas raised by a pandemic that forced many to confront mortality in profound ways. The conversation also addresses the role of spiritual care counselors, as distinguished from traditional chaplaincy, to emphasize a broader, more inclusive approach to spiritual support, particularly for individuals facing end-of-life. The conversation describes the spiritual dimensions of care and the human need for meaning in times of crisis.

Rev. Ramos offers that, “...the pandemic’s a host of a lot of different things. You know, we're talking about the heels of the George Floyd protests, there's a lot of political chaos that is happening during that season of people who have been traumatized by social upheaval as well as death. Interestingly enough, what happens to many pastors, some of the pastors were bred within a triumphalist theology… and now they're dealing with death, death and dying, at untold levels that we are still trying to wrap ourselves around.”

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Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, with his family from Puerto Rico, Reverend David Ramos was brought up Catholic, but at age 16, he had a “born again” experience on the streets of Brooklyn and began to attend a “hippie-like” church that was part of the historical Jesus movement. Rev. Ramos is pastor of Third Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Hamilton Heights and a teaching pastor at the NYC hub of the Passion Center, a Phygital Faith Community and Missional Training Center. As Founder and Facilitator of the Latino Leadership Circle – a network of leaders that provides spiritual, emotional, and moral support and training for established and emerging leaders – he produces podcasts and conducts advocacy on theological and social-justice issues. Rev. Ramos has worked intimately with trauma, death & dying, and grief as a Hospice Chaplain with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. He provides training and technical assistance to churches, corporations, networks, and non-profit organizations on trauma, grief and loss, conflict resolution, and resiliency. His faith journey has roots in the Hispanic Assemblies of God Pentecostal church; the Quaker church; the Presbyterian and Reformed churches, conducting pulpit supply; the emerging church, where he participated in dialogues; and a megachurch, serving as a staff minister. Rev. Ramos served as Chancellor of Faith International Bible School and the Director of Covenant Ministries International, Inc., where he conducted global and regional support work and provided training to international pastors and emerging leaders. In addition, he was the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the American Bible Society. Rev. Ramos holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University. He enjoys hiking, trail running, and motorcycle riding and lives in the Bronx.

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Marta Lucía Vargas is a poet, editor and educator. She is a founding member and senior editor of Aster(ix) Journal, a literary transnational feminist arts journal, and co-founder of WILL: Women in Literature in Letters. She also serves as Managing Editor for HTI Open Plaza, an online platform of the Hispanic Theological Initiative. Her poetry and creative nonfiction works have appeared in various journals and anthologies, including So We Can Know: Writers of Color on Pregnancy, Loss, Abortion and Birth (Haymarket Books, 2023), The Lake Rises: poems to and for our bodies of water (Stockport Flats, 2013), and the chapbook For the Crowns of Your Head (Poets for Ayiti, 2010). Vargas has taught writing and literature at Hunter College and New York Institute of Technology. She was the inaugural Poet-in-Residence for the Montclair Art Museum and serves as Poet-in-Residence for Bloomfield High School's What's Your Story program in New Jersey. Vargas holds an MFA from Drew University and allocates her time between South Orange, New Jersey, and New York City.

Walking You Home

Spiritual Care Counselor Rev. David Ramos talks with HTI Open Plaza’s managing editor and poet Marta Lucía Vargas on pastoral work, death and faith during the COVID-19 pandemic

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