Norwood Minister Supervises Intensive Clinical Pastoral Training Program-July 23, 1965

On July 23, 1965, The Patriot Ledger featured an in-depth profile on Rev. Daniel M. Young.

The associate minister at the United Church of Norwood, he spent his summer serving as a supervisor in the rigorous Clinical Pastoral Training Summer Program at Andover Newton Theological School. Under the direction of program director John Petinsky, B.D., Ed.D., and Dr. Andrew D. Elia, the summer curriculum immerses seminarians and veteran ministers in intensive hospital ministry at institutions such as Tewksbury Hospital and Boston City Hospital. The demanding program requires participating students to spend ten days working directly as hospital orderlies—tasks that include emptying bedpans and caring for geriatric patients on the verge of death—designed to build emotional poise and strengthen spiritual discipline when confronting human suffering.

Reflecting on the psychological and spiritual dimensions of pastoral care, Rev. Daniel M. Young emphasized that true counseling transcends standard social or medical frameworks to address the human spirit directly. His specialized interest in clinical counseling was deeply shaped by a previous directed study project focusing on suicide prevention conducted at Boston City Hospital. Discussing how ministers approach individuals in deep crisis, he noted, “You are dealing with a man’s soul. If you are doing your job as a minister you are not dealing on the social level because society says suicide is bad; and you are not dealing on the medical level because medicine seeks to preserve life. You are dealing with man as spirit.” Through active listening and spiritual guidance, he stressed that the ultimate goal of pastoral intervention is to help individuals regain their intrinsic dignity. Photographed by Kenneth F. McLean, Rev. Daniel M. Young noted that personality studies tracking students through the summer program reveal remarkable growth in maturity, equipping clergy to connect with parishioners on a much deeper, more authentic level without hiding behind formal titles.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger