Lifetime Commitment to Faith Exploration Characterizes Newest Chaplain

Virginia Coakley knew she wanted to be a social worker from as early as the fifth grade.

“I always knew I wanted to work with people, to make a difference in the lives of people,” she says.

She received a bachelor’s degree in counseling psychology. But when she went to pursue a master’s degree in social work, God steered her in a slightly different direction. She earned a generous merit-based scholarship to earn a master’s of divinity and social work, and though she enrolled in the program, she was more interested in studying social work.

Coakley still remembers the date that all changed. On Feb. 27, 2004, Coakley attended a conference at Trinity Church in Boston. During a book signing, she told the Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes Jr., that she yearned to be a social worker, but didn’t understand why God was calling her in a different direction.

He said to me, “The reason God has you going for a divinity degree as opposed to just social work is because people aren’t ready for social justice work alone. People have a spiritual condition. They need a spiritual blood transfusion, and until you address the spiritual, you will never adequately address the social justice issues.”

Those words resonated.

“I sat prayerfully and meditatively and thought about life. I realized that I have so many wonderful opportunities to help people, and because I knew that God was calling me into ministry that really was going to be how I lived out my days. Pursuing a career just in social work was about fulfilling a little girl’s dream. It was OK to let go and embrace a new dream.”

That isn’t to say that the integration of her faith and working it out in tangible ways was foreign to Coakley. She has been involved in ministry in various capacities for more than 25 years. Her most recent work includes coordinator of prison ministry, youth minister and pastoral counselor at parishes in Roxbury and Cambridge.

So when the position of assistant chaplain and director of Protestant and ALANA (African-American, Latin American, Asian-American, and Native American heritage) ministry opened at Holy Cross, she says it was a perfect fit.

“It had every piece of work that I had either been involved in or desired to be involved in. I said this is just way too good to be true,” she recalls.

Coakley has been at Holy Cross since last August. Her primary responsibilities include leading a weekly Sunday non-denomination worship service, a weekly Bible study and prayer meeting. She is also responsible for supporting the ALANA community.

An ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Coakley is a candidate under care with the Boston Presbytery and is seeking ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament.

What does she think about Holy Cross so far?

“I love Holy Cross,” she says. “I think the Jesuits’ commitment to educating the whole person so that people aren’t graduating academically rich and spiritually poor is wonderful. There’s a real emphasis and intentionality about ministering to the whole person.”

Reaching out to more students, especially ALANA students, and introducing them to the power of faith is something she’s eager to do.

“I have a lot of ideas, and I look forward to being able to implement them — whether that’s retreat work, or being able to do some kind of ministry in a nursing home or a hospital — for the interdenominational student body. We are blessed to have time ahead of us, and I can’t wait to see the evolution of the ministry.”

Related Information:

• Chaplains’ Office