The hospital Chapel is located on the first floor of the main hospital, adjacent to elevators 4 and 5. The Reflection Room is located just off the first floor lobby, adjacent to the Surgical Waiting Area.

Both the Chapel and Reflection Room are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and welcome all for prayer, meditation or quiet time. These peaceful settings provide a haven for those of all faiths.

Monday - Friday: 12 p.m.
Saturday: 5 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m.

Mass is presented in the hospital Chapel, located on the first floor of the main hospital, adjacent to elevators 4 and 5. It may also be viewed in the hospital on Channel 3, the C.A.R.E. channel, every day at noon.

Clinical Pastoral Education (or CPE) is an interfaith, professional education and spiritual formation program that brings students into a supervised setting where they encounter people in need of care.

Drawing upon the clinical learning method of “action, reflection, refined action,” students develop awareness of how their personhood influences the care they provide. They also develop the skills to identify the needs and resources of the people in their care to choose an effective response. Working within an interdisciplinary team enables students an ability to understand and collaborate in fostering holistic health and wellbeing.

Most students seek to complete this training because four units of CPE are required for Board Certification as a professional chaplain. Other students are required to complete one unit of CPE as part of their religious preparation for ordination or endorsement and go on to be religious and spiritual leaders in their respective communities. Others elect to apply to use the time for vocational discernment and spiritual formation.

St. Joseph Hospital has provided quality CPE training for more than 35 years. We are accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) to offer Level 1a through Level 2b CPE and supervisory CPE.

As part of Providence, students in our program have the opportunity to complete their clinical hours in one of four different placement sites: St. Joseph Hospital (Orange, CA); St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton, CA); Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo, CA); and St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley, CA).

Providence is a Catholic health system with a reputation for excellence in medical and spiritual care. We are a culturally and religiously diverse community guided by the core values established by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange: Compassion, Dignity, Justice, Excellence and Integrity. Our spiritual care team strives to provide care with humility and respect for the social locations and faith traditions of those we serve. Our CPE students are guided in this approach, even as they develop a deeper understanding of their own faith and cultural uniqueness.

The full-time summer unit requires 40 hours per week of participation over 11 weeks. Students have one and one-half class days per week, with the remaining hours being devoted to clinical work. In addition to this full-time schedule, students are required to complete assigned reading and reflective writing assignments. 

The fall-winter and winter-spring units are part-time units requiring approximately 25 hours per week of participation over 18 weeks. Students have one class day a week from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., one 2-hour session online and will complete approximately 17 hours of clinical work per week. In addition to this part-time schedule, students are required to complete assigned reading and reflective writing assignments.

Our center is committed to giving fair and thorough consideration to all qualified applicants. We select students with consideration of aptitude for learning, capacity for self-reflection and potential for ministry without regard to age, gender, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation or sexual orientation.

Most successful applicants have already begun graduate theological education or other specialized training in their respective religious traditions.

The admissions process continues to be competitive, with most units having a substantial waitlist.

Tuition for one unit of CPE is $600.

Winter/Spring 2026 Unit: January 26 through May 29 (FULL) 

Summer 2026 Unit: June 15 through August 28 (11 weeks) 

Fall 2026/Winter 2027 Unit: September 14 through January 15, 2027 (18 weeks)

• Email edith.bennett@stjoe.org or glory.bautista@providence.org for questions
• Application and Instructions for CPE (Fillable Form)

Apply four to six months in advance as positions are limited for each unit. There is a $50 application fee which can be paid online at the link below, or paid via check made out to St. Joseph Hospital. 

For further information and application materials, give us a call.

Providence St. Joseph Hospital
Spiritual Care Department
1100 W Stewart Drive
Orange, CA 92868
714-771-8137