Pathways to Wholeness Video Series

Communities thrive when people flourish in their spiritual practices. People who relate well to their own self, their bodies, their neighbors, the natural world and consciously engage the systems in which they participate are better able to build healthy communities. Pathways to Wholeness is an invitation to explore the power of spirituality to build healthy communities.

See the ways faith leaders and health practitioners in California are integrating spirituality and religion to bring wholistic health to their communities. These organizations use the power of storytelling to build resilience and bring healing to the individuals they serve.

Burning Pride, Los Angeles

Freedom Community Clinic, Oakland

Kinhood, Sebastopol

Puentes Collective, Santa Ana

Sacred Roots, Oakland

West Coast Mennonite Central Committee, Fresno

Articles

Sojourners Magazine reports on a variety of topics to bring about transformation in health systems, schools, our criminal justice system; and to promote policies that strengthen health, gender, and racial equity. See below for featured articles covering the intersection of these current issues and spirituality.

POVERTY IS THE FIRST TRAUMA

by José Humphreys III
EVER SINCE THE release of Bessel van der Kolk’s 2014 best-selling book The Body Keeps the Score, trauma education has proliferated. I have seen training in everything from trauma-informed lawyering to trauma-informed care in emergency rooms. Trauma-informed practices have even started making their way into some correctional facilities and corporate boardrooms. Yet much of the popular writing tends to focus deeply on the more personal elements of trauma, rather than systemic elements, such as poverty.
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WHAT IS SPIRITUAL ABUSE? AND HOW DO WE HEAL FROM IT?

by Jenna Barnett
Rachael Clinton Chen believes that we are seeing “an apocalyptic unveiling” of abuse committed by faith leaders. And it’s not hard to see why: In the past decade, a slew of once-revered Christian leaders have been exposed for sexual violence or sexual misconduct: Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels, Jean Vanier, former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and too many others to name. But as director of teaching and care at The Allender Center, which offers care and training to help people heal from trauma, Chen knows that abuse has many forms. And when sexual violence is committed by a faith leader, it’s often accompanied by another form of violence that’s harder to define: spiritual abuse.
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WHY ARE CATHOLIC HOSPITALS CUTTING LABOR UNITS DURING A MATERNAL MORTALITY CRISIS?

by Bekah McNeel
One of the most troubling statistics in the country — the United States’ skyrocketing maternal mortality rate — isn’t much of a mystery to those who work in labor and delivery rooms. Underfunding, gaps in health care coverage, and hospital closures all contribute to the health care system’s state of crisis: When resources are stretched thin, birthing people, particularly Black and Latino people, and their babies don’t get the care they need. Catholic hospitals have a long history of seeing these bleak outcomes and creating mission-driven health care systems to intervene. But now, nurses at Ascenscion, a large chain of nonprofit Catholic hospitals, say their network is prioritizing profits and making unnecessary cuts that are contributing to the crisis.
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Resources

Sojourners wants to equip faith groups, health practitioners, and policymakers to integrate spirituality into their work to promote healthier communities in California and nationwide. On May 9, 2024 we gathered a diverse, multifaith group of experts in health policy and practice to share how health and spirituality intersect within their work.

These sessions contain information and guidance captured during these sessions that show experts in California working to promote healthier communities from a variety of angles.

Explore the videos below and share with your communities.

Rev. Dr. Que English Opening Remarks

Dr. Pamela King Keynote Address

Californians Building Healthy Communities Part 1

Californians Building Healthy Communities Part 2

Californias Building Healthy Communities Part 3

Youth & Spirituality Panel

Rev. Dr. Que English on the Heart of God for the Maternal Health Crisis

Dr. Uzo Nwankpa on the Importance of Connection for Maternal Mental Health

Dr. Susana Marroquin on Mental Health & Motherhood