Keeping Emotionally & Spiritually Grounded While Supporting Police Officers & Staff

It was a pleasure and honour to host our CPCA webinar presenter Eugene Dufour for the second time in 15 months. Thirty CPCA Members, who serve police agencies across Canada as police chaplains, came together today on Zoom to hear the words of a man who has been involved in providing care to trauma victims for over 43 years. After taking in his presentation, I'm convinced his longevity is partly due to the degree of humility he walks in, and his eagerness to learn from every situation and every person he comes into contact with.

The feedback I've received already from some of the chaplains who attended confirms that I was not alone in the sense of enrichment I personally perceived after spending a couple of hours listening to Eugene. Chaplaincy should not feel like a sprint to a finish line. Longevity requires patience and a mind eager to learn and grow in order to bolster endurance. These are just a couple of the skillsets Eugene shared along with many other tools he highlighted through his illustrations from life experiences.

Since leading up to our ATS in Winnipeg in 2023, the CPCA has been promoting amongst our membership that we are "Stronger Together." Eugene emphasized that his road to maintaining emotional and spiritual wellness after exposure to extensive trauma is coming together for sharing sessions, not just the immediate diffusing and debriefing, but regular follow-ups for months and even years afterwards. This has been Eugene's methodology for moving forward after being boots on the ground providing counselling to those affected by the mass murders in Nova Scotia in 2020. As police chaplains, we focus on establishing and maintaining relationships with police officers, civilian staff, and families; however, for our own wellbeing, we need to develop trustworthy relationships with our chaplain colleagues who understand us and can assist us through the process of dealing with trauma.

Personally, it was beneficial today to connect even through Zoom; however, that should not be where the connection stays. The CPCA exists not only to train chaplains but to connect chaplains so that one on one in-person meetings are available. One way to establish trusting and meaningful relationships with peers is to attend an in-person CPCA ATS (Annual Training Seminar). This October, chaplains from across Canada will come to Vancouver to spend 5 days in training sessions and in after class activities. I've attended every Annual Training Seminar since becoming a police chaplain in 2015. The result is life long connections with friends I can trust and confide in who share a common passion for serving police officers and their families through chaplaincy.

Registration is open for our CPCA ATS in Vancouver. Learn more about this training and connection opportunity by clicking on the button below. By the way, it's no coincidence that the theme for our Vancouver ATS is "Better Together."

Thank you Eugene for your fantastic presentation today. Thank you to the 33 participants who registered and took in this invaluable presentation. All who registered and attended will receive the slide show handout with access to resources, a CPCA training certificate, and credited hours to your training record. Thank you CPCA Registrar Dave Field for creating the certificates and updating our training records.

For more info on our in-person Annual Training Seminar in Vancouver in October 2025, click on the button below.

Warmest regards,

Rev. Bruce Ewanyshyn

CPCA President

ICPC Director of Region 1

2025 CPCA ATS INFORMATION