Gaye Hailstone, an Anna Chaplain with Yare Valley Churches, tells us about the nationwide chaplaincy for older people and how it works in the Diocese of Norwich.
Even to your old age and grey hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you, I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4
Anna Chaplaincy began in Hampshire in 2010 and arrived in the Diocese of Norwich in 2020. I was commissioned the following year. Today, there are 463 commissioned Anna Chaplains leading ministry teams across the country and here in Diocese of Norwich we have 16 Anna Chaplains with teams of Anna Friends (who are also volunteers supporting the spiritual needs of older people) in parishes from Lowestoft to King’s Lynn.
We are named after the widow, Anna, who recognised the baby Jesus as the Messiah when Mary and Joseph took him to the Temple in Jerusalem.
Our role is to offer spiritual care in later life, in a wide range of contexts depending on the needs of our parish.
We accompany older people in reflecting on their life and their relationship with God, offering friendship and support. We minister to older people and those on the dementia pathway who are living in care homes, sheltered housing complexes, or on their own, and to their relatives and staff who look after them. We take regular worship into the care homes and also to those still living independently. We offer end of life care and support for families. We run cafes, craft and natter groups and holiday clubs with coach outings. We celebrate the church festivals and are currently organising Christmas celebrations and Nativity services for these old folks and making cards and small gifts to share with them.
Anna Chaplains are motivated by love, reaching out to others on their spiritual journey. Sharing God’s love with the elderly and those on the dementia pathway, who can no longer make the journey to church and who often feel forgotten by God and the church, is humbling and rewarding. They look forward to seeing us and as the old lady pictured with me said: “I love singing the old hymns I used to sing in Sunday School – it brings back lovely memories, and it reminds me that God loves me”
Anna Chaplaincy is part of the Bible Reading Fellowship and we are all offered initial training which covers all areas of our ministry, focusing particularly on listening and conversation skills, prayer, the importance of self-worth in later years and working with people with dementia. In addition, there are specialist training workshops each year which we are all invited to join and six-monthly network get-togethers where we share what is happening in our parishes, what has worked well and what has perhaps not worked so well and support each other on our ministry journeys.
If you would like to know more about Anna Chaplaincy please contact Sue Hemsley Halls who co-ordinates this ministry: sue.hemsleyhalls@dioceseofnorwich.org
This is an expanded version of a story which appears in the the Winter 2025-6 Prayer Diary, which has a focus on chaplains. See the full current Prayer Diary here.