Joy Castro-Wehr, MDiv ’25, on Listening to Stories as Spiritual Care

Over the course of her three years at Harvard Divinity School (HDS), Joy Castro-Wehr, MDiv '25, developed a unique understanding of spiritual care, one informed by compassionate and creative listening to the stories of others. Now, as she prepares to graduate later in May, she is taking with her a clarified sense of calling shaped by years of discernment, study, and ministry. 

As an undergraduate at Oberlin College, Castro-Wehr accidentally majored in religious studies. Late in her junior year, her advisor told her that she had completed enough coursework—largely through sociology and gender studies classes connected to the religious studies department—to earn the major. However, it wasn’t until a pivotal post-undergraduate opportunity that she realized how impactful this area of study would be for the future direction of her life.

Castro-Wehr moved to Washington, D.C., for a year-long fellowship at Sojourners, an advocacy nonprofit rooted in Christianity and social justice. Already interested in social justice movements and political organizing, her time at Sojourners introduced a new element to this passion. Through her work in digital organizing, grassroots lobbying, and as the executive assistant to the president of the organization, a new sense for the dynamic possibilities of faith in action began to take shape.

“Through this role, I met many ordained people who were engaged in political campaigning, activism, and organizing,” she said. “I was drawn to the way their spirituality and faith fueled their activism. I began to see that there was something important about religion in the public sphere.”

After her time at Sojourners, Castro-Wehr worked for a year at a pro bono legal nonprofit supporting children in families affected by domestic violence. Through her support of individuals navigating the court system during times of distress, she recognized a vocational pull toward more intimate, spiritually grounded care.

“I began to see how desperately these people needed spiritual care during these processes, and wanted to be involved in that work,” said Castro-Wehr. 

After discovering the master of divinity program through a friend, and discussing the opportunity with mentors, friends, and former college professors, Castro-Wehr decided to pursue further theological education and enroll at HDS.

She joined the community in the fall of 2022 and was interested in chaplaincy across age differences. Her time at the School both reaffirmed and strengthened this calling, giving it a deepened educational and academic foundation.

Classes in spiritual care and chaplaincy shaped her imagination of what ministry could be. A course titled “Spiritual Care for Nones,” taught by Vanessa Zoltan and organized entirely around novels, was especially impactful.

“That class helped me see that listening to stories—and paying attention to how people tell them—is spiritual care,” she said. “The course showed me that it’s all about hearing others’ stories and responding in compassionate, supportive, and creative ways. It’s the substance of the work itself.”

A class called “Contemplative Prayer in Christianity,” taught by Professor Stephanie Paulsell and featuring readings by mystics and theologians throughout the history of Christianity, stood out as another turning point.

“We read books once, and then we read them again,” she said. “That shifted my understanding of reading, prayer, and the relationship between the two. It was one of the classes where I felt most connected to my purpose for being here at HDS—where I realized that divinity school is so right for me.”

Faculty, too, were affirming in her calling during her time at HDS. Castro-Wehr cited Paulsell as a pivotal presence, not only for her intellect and pedagogy, but for the way she embodied her own expression of Christianity.

“She helped articulate an expression of Christianity that, as a Christian who is still trying to find an authentic way of being Christian, felt really good and right,” said Castro-Wehr.

Field education at a local United Church of Christ (UCC) church, where she served as a student minister, provided an experiential opportunity for discernment and growth.

“It felt a little like being handed the keys to an airplane and being told, ‘You’re flying today,’” she said. “But the trust, the patience—it was special. That experience clarified my desire to pursue ordination in the UCC.”

After graduation, Castro-Wehr will begin a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) residency at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD, an exciting next step she has been anticipating since her arrival in Cambridge three years ago. She will also continue in the ordination process in the UCC.

“I came to HDS knowing I wanted to do chaplaincy,” reflected Castro-Wehr. “Graduating from HDS and preparing to really do this work—it feels like an unfolding of a path I envisioned from the beginning.”

Banner photo: Joy Castro-Wehr, MDiv '25. Photo by Marisol Andrade Muñoz