Pastor's Points: Pastoral Care

Pastor's Points: Pastoral Care

As part of the Pastoral Care Ministry at St. Thomas More and the Newman Catholic Student Center Parish, there are 7 retirement centers and nursing homes where Mass is celebrated about once a quarter. Many of the people who come to the liturgy at these centers are not otherwise able to attend Mass. We do have a good number of lay ministers who visit the centers on a regular basis and bring Holy Communion.   

In June, I had the opportunity to celebrate Mass at three of the facilities that we serve. A couple of things struck me as I thought about these experiences.

First, many times there are residents who attend these Masses who have memory loss of varying stages. However, during Mass, I notice that many of these residents participate in some way. They make the sign of cross, say the responses to the Mass, pray the Our Father along with the rest of us and receive Holy Communion. There is a familiarity and even a comfort with the ritual of the Mass. Those basic things learned as a child, such as the words of the Our Father and the Sign of the Cross stay with some of the residents even if many other memories have gone. Catholic ritual imprints something on us. It stays with us. There is an importance to the routine of what we do at worship.   

Second, the lay ministers who serve at these facilities do so with such compassion and concern for the residents. I watch as they bring the residents to the room or welcome them and ask about their day and their family. I can tell that they have formed a strong bond with the residents through their pastoral visits. The face of Christ is made present through the good work that these parishioners do.

The same can be said of those who bring Communion to the homebound and hospitalized. When you cannot come to church, the Church comes to you. Christ comes to you. And that Christ comes in both the form of the Eucharist and in those who are entrusted with this sacred ministry. 

Our care for the sick, the homebound, the aged, and the hospitalized are among our most important apostolates as a parish. It is all about bringing Christ in some way to them.  Fr. Labosky, Fr. Kane, Mary Ellen McGuire (Pastoral Associate), Teresa Keller (Pastoral Associate Emerita) and I express our appreciation for all those who commit themselves to this important ministry.

If you would like to become involved in the ministry to those in nursing homes and retirement communities or the hospitalized, please contact: Mary Ellen McGuire. For ministry to the homebound contact Fr. John Kane.