Rockport — Pen Bay Medical Center recently announced that Abby Pettee is the new chaplain and oversees the pastoral care volunteer team who provide spiritual care offerings for patients at Pen Bay Medical Center, Quarry Hill and Knox Center for Long Term Care.

Pettee has more than 27 years of experience in chaplaincy and mental health service delivery and holds graduate degrees in clinical psychology and education. She has completed clinical pastoral education training, alongside additional coursework in theology and spiritual care across the life span. Her professional interests include interfaith dialog and practice; contemplative practices that promote healing and wholeness and the interface between spirituality and mental health.

Of her new position, Pettee said in a news release, "I am excited to be part of an interdisciplinary team of caregivers and administrators who believe in whole person intervention — body, mind and soul."

"Midcoast Maine offers so much — aesthetically and culturally. The mountains meet the sea, offering me the chance to hike and swim, on the same day. I have found the pace of life to be slower than in the Boston area, so I appreciate the chance to have more relaxed conversations with people I meet. I enjoy many different types of music, and hearing authors share their works at the Camden Public Library," Pettee said of her move to this area.

In addition to being an avid outdoors enthusiast and cultural explorer, Pettee is active in her church, volunteers at the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen and is a member of the Outreach Coalition — activities that offer Pettee personal renewal and meaningful connection with others. She lives in Camden with her husband, teenage son and black Labrador.

For more information about pastoral care at Pen Bay Medical Center, contact the Pen Bay Chaplain's office at 542-4432.