21 June · World Day of Spiritual Health
You too can help make the World Day of Spiritual Health a reality
A proposal by the Universitat de Barcelona - Fundació Sanitària Mollet Chair of Spiritual Health and Humanisation to promote spiritual health as an essential dimension of human wellbeing, from a secular, scientific and international perspective.
Promoting spiritual health as an essential dimension of integral wellbeing
The World Day of Spiritual Health has the mission of promoting spiritual health as an essential dimension of integral wellbeing, contributing to the humanisation of health and social systems and to the improvement of health outcomes.
Life places everyone, at some point, before losses that are hard to bear: illness, loneliness, grief. Properly attending to the spiritual dimension of the person at these moments helps them find serenity and meaning, with documented effects on their physical, social and spiritual wellbeing.
This initiative aims to raise awareness of the value of living with meaning, purpose and connection — with oneself, with others and with the surrounding world — and to drive the integration of spiritual health into person-centred care models.
Principles
Inclusion and secularity
Recognition and respect for the different expressions of spirituality, religious and non-religious, from a secular, plural and ethical perspective.
Dignity and compassion
Promotion of dignity and compassion to care for the human being in all their dimensions.
Cultural diversity
Appreciation of the plurality of spiritual traditions and expressions across the world.
Integral wellbeing
Promotion of connection with the transcendent, resilience and life purpose as protective health factors.
Ethics and humanisation
Linking spiritual health with bioethical reflection and person-centred care.
Participation and community
Active involvement of professionals, institutions and citizens in the promotion of spiritual health.
21 June
The proposal is to establish 21 June as the World Day of Spiritual Health
The summer solstice represents, across many cultures, a moment of renewal, balance and connection with nature and the vital cycle. This transcultural symbolism makes it a fitting date to promote reflection on meaning, purpose and integral wellbeing.
Research confirms that spiritual health directly influences health outcomes
The World Health Organization recognises spirituality as a dynamic aspect of human health in which people seek and express meaning and purpose, and experience connection with themselves, with others and with what they consider transcendent (WHO, 2013). The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) defines it operationally as the dynamic dimension of human life that relates the person — and the community — to meaning, purpose and transcendence, and to connection with oneself, others, nature and what is significant or sacred.
WHO, 2013 · EAPC / Best et al., BMC Palliative Care, 2020
scientific studies analysed
Systematic review · JAMA 2022
interventions carried out
with patients · PAEL, Fundació Sanitària Mollet (FSM)
healthcare professionals supported
PAEL, Fundació Sanitària Mollet (FSM)
The experience of the Lay Spirituality Care Programme (PAEL) at Fundació Sanitària Mollet has demonstrated the positive aspects of integrating spiritual health into clinical care.
A systematic review published in JAMA (2022), based on 371 scientific studies, concludes that spiritual care should be integrated into the care of seriously ill patients; that training in spiritual health must be incorporated into interdisciplinary teams; and that healthcare systems should include specialised professionals.
At a European level, the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) has established an official competency framework for training in spiritual care in interdisciplinary teams, arguing that all members of a clinical team — regardless of discipline — should have basic competencies in spiritual care, and that this training must be academic, multidisciplinary and accessible to all healthcare staff. (Best et al., BMC Palliative Care, 2020)
The relationship between spiritual health and
Resilience in the face of adversity
Mental health and emotional wellbeing
The moral wellbeing of healthcare professionals
The quality of clinical decision-making
21 June 2026 · 11 am
Official presentation of the proposal
Reception hall, Hospital Universitari Mollet · Open to the public
Institutional welcome
Dr. Jaume Duran, Director General, Fundació Sanitària Mollet
Ms Mireia Vicente García, Associate Director of the Chair of Spiritual Health and Humanisation and Director of Nursing, Fundació Sanitària Mollet
Musical accompaniment
Dr. Jordi Calls, Head of Nephrology Service
Reading of the Manifesto
Ms Mariona Saperas Soldevila, Head of Psychology and Emotional Wellbeing, Fundació Sanitària Mollet
Ms Gemma Cervera Ortega, Social Worker and Head of Social Work, Fundació Sanitària Mollet
Ms Sara Pons Pallarès, Head of the Spiritual Health Service, Fundació Sanitària Mollet
Commemorative gift for attendees
15 – 21 June · Lead-up to the event
A week of activities to promote reflection and participation
In the lead-up to the event, from 15 to 21 June, Fundació Sanitària Mollet will organise a series of activities open to the community to encourage reflection on spiritual health.
Among the initiatives is a selection of books on spiritual health and emotional wellbeing at the Martí Fabré Library. The four Fundació residences and the Hospital Universitari Mollet will also host a participatory mural featuring a tree, where residents, families and staff will be invited to share reflections and messages in response to a question as simple as it is meaningful: "What gives you peace?" The programme will be completed by awareness-raising videos shared on social media, with the aim of opening spaces for dialogue and reflection on a dimension that is often invisible yet essential for many people.
These activities reflect Fundació Sanitària Mollet's commitment to fostering spaces for health, culture, reflection and community participation from an integral, humanising perspective.
Spiritual health is not a luxury or an add-on: it is a fundamental dimension of human wellbeing that no health system aspiring to humanisation can continue to ignore.
SDGs — Agenda 2030
United Nations 2030 Agenda
The proposal falls within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In particular:
Good health and well-being
Quality education
Reduced inequalities
Peace, justice and strong institutions
The driving force
Universitat de Barcelona - Fundació Sanitària Mollet Chair of Spiritual Health and Humanisation
The creation of the Universitat de Barcelona - Fundació Sanitària Mollet Chair of Spiritual Health and Humanisation provides the academic and scientific framework needed to promote this initiative on an international scale. A space for research, training and knowledge transfer driven by the Universitat de Barcelona and the Fundació Sanitària Mollet, it works to integrate the spiritual dimension into clinical practice from a secular, salutogenic and interdisciplinary perspective.
Spiritual health is not a luxury or an add-on: it is a fundamental dimension of human wellbeing that no health system aspiring to humanisation can continue to ignore.
Resources
Talks, lectures and events from the Chair in audiovisual format.
Images from the Chair's events, meetings and activities.
Presentations, publications and outreach materials from the Chair.