Mental health aspects of pastoral work: vignettes with comment

Conclusion These case notes with comment in no sense give a complete picture of the pastoral relationships that have been reproduced for observation. They are rather case demonstrations of certain dimensions in pastoral work which, if understood by the pastor, could enrich and enliven his ministry. I have also tried to show the connection between the pastoral and religious features of these cases on the one hand and, on the other, the mental health aspects which, in my judgment, are to be seen as by-products of genuine pastoral encounters. In all of this, it may not be too inaccurate to remark that the work of ministry in our day requires greater skill, freer imagination, and stronger personal integrity than have ever been demanded before.