BRUDER, ERNEST E., 1910-1976.
Ernest E. Bruder papers, 1930-1977.

Restrictions on Access

Unrestricted access.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Ernest E. Bruder papers, MSS 355, Archives and Manuscript Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University.

Processing

Processed by Anne Marie McLean, August 2015.

Biographical Note

Ernest E. Bruder was born on April 18, 1910 in Winnipeg, Canada. Bruder earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John's College at the University of Manitoba, and went on to acquire a Bachelor of Divinity from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in 1937. Bruder was subsequently ordained by the Council of Baptist Churches in Winnipeg on November 25, 1937 and served in Manitoba's parish ministry from 1937 to 1940. He was later confirmed in the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1942, was certified to perform rites in the Diocese of Washington on December 20 of the same year, and became a licensed deacon on July 8, 1943. During this time, Bruder began postgraduate clinical pastoral training at the University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and continued his instruction at New Jersey State Hospital in Greystone Park and the Federal Detention Headquarters in New York.

After serving as a chaplain supervisor at hospitals in New York and Pennsylvania, Bruder was appointed as the first Protestant chaplain to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the third largest mental hospital in the United States at the time, on July 19, 1944 by the Washington Federation of Churches. One year later, Bruder initiated a pastoral training program in which ordained ministers completed one-year internships to become trained chaplains. With time, programs around the United States and the world were modeled after Bruder's. By 1948, Bruder had received the first certificate in Applied Psychiatry for Ministers from the Washington School of Psychiatry and became a naturalized citizen. In the same year, Bruder acted as a founding member of the Association of Mental Hospital Chaplains, an organization for which he later served as president from 1962 to 1963.

By the 1950's, Bruder was regarded as a renowned teacher, leader, and innovator in the field of clinical pastoral care, specializing in developing worship techniques, prayers, services, and a philosophy of homiletics for ministry to the mentally ill. He served as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Pastoral Care, and was a member of the editorial board for the publication Pastoral Psychology. In 1954, he received an Outstanding Civil Service job performance rating, and eventually made his way into academia. Bruder became the professor and holder of the Howard Chandler Robbins Chair of Clinical Pastoral Care at Wesley Theological Seminary in 1962. He also served as an adjunct professor in clinical pastoral care at Virginia Theological Seminary in 1971, and guest lectured frequently around the United States and Europe. Bruder authored over one hundred published articles, but perhaps his most acclaimed work was the book, Ministering to Deeply Troubled People (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1963). St. Elizabeth's awarded Bruder a Superior Performance Award in 1966, and the chaplain retired from the hospital in 1975.

After suffering from a stroke the previous year, Ernest Bruder died on Wednesday, November 24, 1976 at Alexandria Hospital due to congestive heart failure following the stroke. He was survived by his wife (Ruth), daughters (Roslyn Bennett and Susan Norton), and sons (Peter George and Michael Ernest Bruder), and is remembered as a catalyst for clinical pastoral education in the mental health field.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains biographical documents, publications, and memorabilia of Episcopal priest, chaplain, and key figure in the Clinical Pastoral Education Movement, Ernest E. Bruder (1910-1976). A significant portion of the collection also documents the Clinical Pastoral Education Movement and its development during Bruder's career.

The collection starts with Bruder's biographical information, including newspaper clippings chronicling major life events, school documents from undergraduate and graduate degrees, religious certificates and licenses, social memorabilia, and photographs. Following is an extensive section of Bruder's professional and personal correspondence with medical doctors, faculty advisors, colleagues, and friends. The next section is divided into Bruder's writings and publications, ranging from sermons to articles in medical journals. Following is an assortment of Bruder's personal copies of materials pertaining to pastoral care and mental health. A good portion of this section addresses the Association of Mental Health Chaplains, of which Bruder was a part. Next is a large collection of Bruder's professional material divided into three subsections, the first of which contains general addresses, lectures, news releases, and reports. The second subsection contains documentation of Bruder's tours and travels around the United States and the world, and the third houses other professional material. More focused ecclesial material from the institutions which Bruder served follows, including sermons, worship bulletins, booklets, directories, and Bruder's ordination statement. Finally, the last sections hold Bruder's school yearbooks and audio-visual materials.