Chaplain-led Mindfulness Sessions are Helping Nurses to De-Stress

During Nurses Week, ECS chaplains created sacred space for those who rarely get to pause.

It was a quiet room—an unusual kind of quiet for a hospital. Nurses stepped in, not quite sure what to expect. Some carried the weight of a hard shift. Others simply welcomed a moment to breathe.

This was no ordinary break.

As part of Nurses Week at Mountain View Hospital in Payson, Utah, Episcopal Community Services Lead Chaplain Robert Maggarell was invited by the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer to offer something special: guided mindfulness sessions, crafted specifically for nursing staff

“I offered them a space for gratitude,” Chaplain Robert said, “and a feeling of sacredness to their call to nursing.”

For many nurses, the sessions became more than just moments of rest—they became opportunities to reconnect with why they chose this work in the first place.

“The sessions gave me the opportunity to take a break from my workday and connect with a bigger picture. It reminded me that it is a blessing to be a nurse.” -RN Kelsie Black

The breathing exercises, she added, had a physical and emotional effect:

“They induced a peace and calm to my mind and body. In that state I was able to experience gratitude for myself and my coworkers.”

The work of nursing is often fast-paced, selfless, and emotionally demanding. During Nurses Week, ECS chaplains stepped in not to care for patients—but to care for the caregivers.

Chaplain Robert witnessed “many tears and moments of release.” The sessions weren’t dramatic—but they were deeply human.

“This was a healing and thankful-feeling experience,” he said. “And I was grateful to offer this level of care.”

For ECS, honoring nurses goes beyond a single week. It’s part of the organization’s mission to support the whole hospital—patients and providers alike. And sometimes, it begins with something as simple—and sacred—as a deep breath.