HMEC 2026 · Buena Park, California
One in five Hindus is at a temple in a given week
Chaplaincy is how a temple reaches the other four: at the hospital bedside, in hospice, on campus, in prison, and at home. Here is what your temple can start this year.
Three things your temple can do
Send two people to the CSC course
Counselor of Spiritual Care: nine months, online and self-paced, about five hours a week. Your temple ends the year with two trained spiritual care counselors. $2,500 suggested donation.
About the course ApplySend your purohit to the HPC course
Hindu Purohit Counselor: chaplaincy skills and credentials for practicing purohits, added to the ritual expertise they already have. Cohort 1 runs October 2026 to July 2027, with 10 to 12 seats.
About the course ApplyOpen a local outbound service with HSCI
We help your temple set up visits to the hospitals, hospices, campuses and prisons near you, and we supply the training, the supervision and the insurance. Tell us where your temple is and who you have.
Message us on WhatsApp Email admissions264 graduates · 8 cohorts · 9 countries · teaching since 2018
HSCI is a BCCI-recognized endorser for the Hindu tradition. Until 2026, a Hindu chaplain seeking board certification in the United States had no endorsing body at all.
Why your temple, and why now
- The first generation is aging. Hospitals, hospices and the VA ask for a Hindu chaplain. Most cannot find one.
- The next generations visit the temple less. They need the tradition in a hospital room, a college dorm room, or where they work.
- Institutions accept degreed chaplains only. HSCI's endorsement is what lets a Hindu chaplain be placed, hired and paid like any other.
A temple that offers these services will attract and engage all generations and segments of the community.
The pathway, end to end
A person your temple sends this year can go the whole distance without leaving the HSCI track:
- CSC certificate — nine months, online, with HSCI.
- Hindu CPE — 400 clinical hours, run with CPEI.
- MA in Interreligious Chaplaincy — at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, where HSCI graduates enter with 12 credits of advanced standing.
- Board certification — through APC or BCCI, on HSCI's endorsement.
See the full pathway · Fellowships of up to $6,000
Talk to us
Bring your temple's questions to admissions@hsciglobal.org, or start on WhatsApp. Gaurav Rastogi, Dean, presented this session at HMEC 2026 on behalf of the Hindu Spiritual Care Institute.