Rev. Dr. Robert M. Girard, who prefers to be called “Bobby,” is a native of our beloved New England. He began working with the terminally ill in 1986, when he worked with Mother Teresa and her sisters as a physical and spiritual caregiver for people with AIDS in Washington, DC and New York City. Bobby has many inspiring stories to tell about his many years of ministry to those often abandoned people transitioning from this world to the next.

Bobby acquired his Masters of Divinity, his Masters in Communications from American University and then his Doctorate in Theology in 2001 from the Angelicum in Rome, Italy. His doctoral dissertation was an original study of the ancient Christian inscriptions found on the Paschal Candle. Between 1998 and 2008, Bobby taught Scripture, public speaking and homiletics at the college level while continuing to minister to people approaching the end of life.

Since 2012, Bobby has been ministering in Central and Western Massachusetts as a full-time, interfaith Hospice chaplain and bereavement counselor. During the past 13 years, Bobby has made over 20,000 pastoral visits to the dying of our region. Bobby is also a tour guide at the Springfield Museums, specializing in the areas of Connecticut River Valley history and late medieval painting, sculpture and iconography.

An ordained minister within the United Church of Christ, Bobby is considered an effective story-teller who can relate profound spiritual truths to everyday life. Bobby and his husband enjoy hiking mountains and exploring new cultures while traveling overseas.