Formed in the embrace of spiritual life and thought, modern biomedicine owes much of its founding principles to its spiritual heritage. However, passage through modernity has yielded a largely estranged relationship between religion/ spirituality and the practice of medicine; bodily and spiritual care are now largely performed in isolation from one another. And though the complexities of body and spirit can be served well by specialization, the lack of integration of spiritual and material care has led to notable tensions in the care of the sick, particularly at the end of life. The empirical perspective, though certainly fraught with limitations, can act as a critical tool to shine light on the complex interplay of spiritual issues, faith, and the experience of illness. Research thus far has demonstrated the multifaceted roles of spirituality within illness and how the integration of spiritual care can serve to uphold patient and family well-being at the end of life.