Henri Nouwen: Theologian, Caregiver - How do his Writings Support Informal Caregivers?
Julie Yonker, Calvin University
In the United States, one in four adults serve as informal caregivers, individuals who provide unpaid medical and physical care for other adults. Their efforts save the health care system an estimated $874 billion annually (AARP & National Caregiver Alliance, 2025), yet they remain largely invisible within both medical and faith communities. While the care recipient often receives attention and support, the caregiver’s own health, emotional, and spiritual needs are overlooked. Many report profound fatigue, loss of social connection, and feelings of isolation. As relational beings designed by God for community, these caregivers experience deep disconnection when their role removes them from normal social and spiritual rhythms.
Our ongoing research project explores the needs of informal caregivers and the role that faith communities might play in providing support. Through qualitative interviews and surveys across several faith traditions, we have found that caregiving is often understood as a divine calling, yet formal resources or training for supporting caregivers are minimal. Most faith communities offer informal gestures of care, prayer, meals, or visits, without structures that sustain the caregiver over time. Clergy and lay leaders frequently express uncertainty about how to help, revealing a significant gap between theological belief and practical application.
Into this gap, the writings of Henri Nouwen (1932–1996; theologian, priest, and caregiver) offer a compelling framework for both understanding and supporting the informal caregiver. Nouwen’s years at L’Arche Daybreak, caring for Adam, a man with profound disabilities, shaped his reflections on the mutual transformation found in caregiving relationships. In works such as The Road to Daybreak and Adam: God’s Beloved, Nouwen reframes caregiving as a sacred vocation grounded in presence, humility, and shared suffering. “To care is to be present with those who suffer, and to stay present even when nothing can be done,” he writes, capturing the essence of the caregiver’s call.
While Nouwen’s caregiving experiences were grounded in the supportive, L’Arche Daybreak community, his reflections resonate deeply with the realities of today’s informal caregivers who remained primarily isolated with their care recipient. He names the inner conflict many experience, the exhaustion, resentment, shame, and longing for rest, while affirming that caregiving can be a means of encountering God’s transforming love. His theology of presence provides language and validation for those who feel unseen, and it offers faith communities a model for forming ministries that nurture caregivers rather than leaving them isolated.
Our project integrates Nouwen’s theological insights into practical resources for congregations and caregivers. These include training modules for faith leaders and short devotional guides structured around themes drawn from Nouwen’s writings: The Eyes of Pain (“we see you”), The Prayer of Caring (“you are not alone”), and The Voice of Love (“you are God’s beloved”). Each combines Scripture, reflection, and prayer to affirm the caregiver’s worth and sacred vocation to serve the medical needs of the one for whom they care.
In this paper, I will present how Nouwen’s theology can inform pastoral care and congregational education in support of informal caregivers. Furthermore, I will show how Nouwen’s writings invite the medical community to restore the healing power of empathy, humility, and shared humanity. By redeeming caregiving as both an act of service and a site of grace, faith communities can help heal the isolation of those who quietly sustain others. Henri Nouwen’s voice reminds us that in the act of caring, we not only reflect Christ’s compassion but also encounter God’s transformative love.
AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving. (2025). Caregiving in the US 2025. AARP. https://doi.org/10.26419/ppi.00373.001
Our ongoing research project explores the needs of informal caregivers and the role that faith communities might play in providing support. Through qualitative interviews and surveys across several faith traditions, we have found that caregiving is often understood as a divine calling, yet formal resources or training for supporting caregivers are minimal. Most faith communities offer informal gestures of care, prayer, meals, or visits, without structures that sustain the caregiver over time. Clergy and lay leaders frequently express uncertainty about how to help, revealing a significant gap between theological belief and practical application.
Into this gap, the writings of Henri Nouwen (1932–1996; theologian, priest, and caregiver) offer a compelling framework for both understanding and supporting the informal caregiver. Nouwen’s years at L’Arche Daybreak, caring for Adam, a man with profound disabilities, shaped his reflections on the mutual transformation found in caregiving relationships. In works such as The Road to Daybreak and Adam: God’s Beloved, Nouwen reframes caregiving as a sacred vocation grounded in presence, humility, and shared suffering. “To care is to be present with those who suffer, and to stay present even when nothing can be done,” he writes, capturing the essence of the caregiver’s call.
While Nouwen’s caregiving experiences were grounded in the supportive, L’Arche Daybreak community, his reflections resonate deeply with the realities of today’s informal caregivers who remained primarily isolated with their care recipient. He names the inner conflict many experience, the exhaustion, resentment, shame, and longing for rest, while affirming that caregiving can be a means of encountering God’s transforming love. His theology of presence provides language and validation for those who feel unseen, and it offers faith communities a model for forming ministries that nurture caregivers rather than leaving them isolated.
Our project integrates Nouwen’s theological insights into practical resources for congregations and caregivers. These include training modules for faith leaders and short devotional guides structured around themes drawn from Nouwen’s writings: The Eyes of Pain (“we see you”), The Prayer of Caring (“you are not alone”), and The Voice of Love (“you are God’s beloved”). Each combines Scripture, reflection, and prayer to affirm the caregiver’s worth and sacred vocation to serve the medical needs of the one for whom they care.
In this paper, I will present how Nouwen’s theology can inform pastoral care and congregational education in support of informal caregivers. Furthermore, I will show how Nouwen’s writings invite the medical community to restore the healing power of empathy, humility, and shared humanity. By redeeming caregiving as both an act of service and a site of grace, faith communities can help heal the isolation of those who quietly sustain others. Henri Nouwen’s voice reminds us that in the act of caring, we not only reflect Christ’s compassion but also encounter God’s transformative love.
AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving. (2025). Caregiving in the US 2025. AARP. https://doi.org/10.26419/ppi.00373.001