“I was ill and you cared for me ” (Mt 25:36)
The Ministry of Care is one of the oldest ministries in Christianity. As Christians we are called by Jesus to serve those in need: the hungry, homeless, vulnerable and sick, and his words from Matthew 25:36 are at the heart of the Ministry of Care mission. We believe that Serving Beyond the Church Walls our ministry can be a sign of the support, love and concern that our Church has for the sick, the elderly, the homebound, and those experiencing a time of need.
Who we are: We are a parish members called to minister God’s people in extraordinary circumstances: to bring the Holy Eucharist, prayer, and compassion to members of the community who are unable to attend Mass: to Catholic patients at the University of Chicago Hospitals, to local nursing homes and Assistant Living, and to homebound.
What we do: We act as the Disciples of Christ and representatives of St. Thomas the Apostle in bringing love, support and comfort to those who are facing some of life’s most serious challenges. We serve by:
- visiting the sick and homebound with the Holy Eucharist,
- sharing the word of God in scripture,
- praying with them for the Church and the world,
- and offering companionship.
The sacramental ministry of prayer and Holy Communion is central to the work of Ministers of Care, but this ministry always involves being present to help out in some way, even if only to give the gift of listening and companionship.
Time commitment: Our volunteer work can fit into your own personal schedule. Most volunteers give two or three hours a week at a time convenient to both the minister and the patient or homebound people.
Training and mentorship is provided by experienced Ministers of Care.
Contact: Br. Jacob Sircy, O. Praem at jsircy@stapostleparish.org
Call to Ministry
 Jack had a serious heart condition that required him to have extensive heart surgery. He and his family were worried and concerned about the upcoming surgery, and his granddaughter shared this information with her First Communion Class. The whole class, and Pastor Father Elias prayed together for Jack to have a successful surgery.
Jack had a successful surgery, which turned out to be a more minor surgery than was originally planned. Even minor surgeries however are frightening, and as Jack was worrying in the hospital about his recovery, he was visited by Frannie and Jim Blackman, who are STA Ministers of Care. The Blackmans prayed with Jack and brought him communion, love, and caring from our STA community. Jack and his wife Patrice were so touched by the prayerful caring of the STA Community. They decided that they could give something back to others who are hospitalized, and they went through the STA Minister of Care training. They are now visiting and bringing communion to patients at the University of Chicago hospitals and are living examples of following the words of Jesus from Matthew 25:36: “I was sick and you visited me.” |
Martin Duncan STA Parishioner“Good Morning, my name is Martin. I am a Minister of Care and I would like to know if you would like to receive communion today.” That is my introduction that I have been saying at the University of Chicago Hospitals most Sundays since October 2009. I have been going to St. Thomas the Apostle since 1989 when I moved to Chicago. In the 1990s I was involved with the Youth Group. I fell out of that and continued to attend Mass almost every Sunday. This went on for years, until the latter part of 2008. In those late months of 2008, I started listening to the Word and the homilies. They spoke to me in a different way. There was a call to arms that hit me. Over and over, I asked myself the question: “Are you living out your faith?” Accompanied by this question was the nagging thought of whether I was doing enough or could I do more. Enough or more to be a good Catholic, to live my life in reflection of and in accord with Jesus Christ my Savior? During that year, I would also see notices in the parish bulletins inviting parishioners to join the Ministers of Care to go visit the sick in the hospital. On more than one occasion I saw the notice and thought that maybe, just maybe, that was what I was called to do. From the late part of 2008 into almost the middle of 2009, I prayed about whether I was called to the ministry and whether I would have the commitment to go visit the sick. And, by June I had received my answer, the confidence and the assurance that I was ready to be a Minister of Care. |
 Many years ago Sister Marguerite Zralek spoke to our St. Thomas the Apostle congregation about the Minister of Care vocation. Sr. Marguerite had many years of experience in the field as a University of Chicago Chaplain, and as a pastoral minister at STA for 13 years. I was busy at the time with three children’s activities and working, but something in her words stayed with me. Twelve years ago, when my last child went off to college and I started to think about how I could better walk the path Jesus has asked me to walk, her words floated back to me.
Sr. Marguerite’s words combined with my rising awareness of suffering. I coped with a painful crippling auto-immune disease that opened my eyes to all the people around me who walked slowly looking like they were in pain. At the age of 42 I went through surgery and treatment for breast cancer. My close witness to pain and suffering, and the deep kindness and support I received from so many, allowed me to open my eyes to compassion for the ill and the dying. When I think about how I came to be a minister of care, I realized it was from praying and spiritual reflection as I went through my own illnesses. I have been a Minister of Care now for over twelve years, serving people at home and in the hospital. It is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. It has opened another door for me, one of searching to know more about my Roman Catholic faith tradition. After four years of ministering to people, I realized how much more I had to learn. That led me to pursue a Masters of Arts in Pastoral Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (CTU). I am planning on graduating from CTU in May 2016 with a Masters of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS) degree. Link to CTU: http://www.ctu.edu |
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Pat White – STA Parishioner and Minister of Care Coordinator |
From the time of my First Communion until now I have been blest with a love for Jesus in the Eucharist, so it would be logical that Eucharist Ministry of Care (MOC) would be my ministry. A lot of life happened along the way to the time in early 2000 that I became a MOC. I came to the parish in 1970 and took some time to settle in. By then my career as an RN had taken off and I was a wife and a mother. I signed up more than once in the 80’s for the MOC classes provided by Sr. Marguerite but they were offered for 2 hours a week for 6 weeks which proved impossible for me. I wanted to serve so I volunteered for a variety of ministries in the parish but service that did not require a lot of training or on-going weekly time commitment: St Nicholas Bazaar, the Welcome Committee, and cleaning and decorating the sanctuary at Christmas and Easter and Eucharistic minister on the altar.
Life changed with retirement though my intention was to get back to direct nursing care. The Holy Spirit intervened. There was a position with the parish and some parishioners (the women of the “after week day Mass coffee group”!) thought I would be good at it and put my name forward to Fr. Michael Mulhall. And the rest is history. I became the ministries coordinator – and guess what, I became directly responsible for the ministry of care program. There was a steep but joyful learning curve. I went through basic MOC training with the first group of recruits and also took classes through Catholic Theological Union and the Archdiocese of Chicago and of course was supported by Fr. Michael. We designed training that more fit the needs of working parishioners.
I could not believe my good fortune. I have been enriched and challenged. It has been a great joy to visit those directly in need of Jesus in the Eucharist and to coordinate the program. When it was time to leave the position of ministries coordinator I offered to “take” the parish ministry of care program as a volunteer. Ministry of care continues to be an essential part of my life. If offers more to me than I could ever give.
STA Minister of Care Training
SPRING 2023 TRAINING UPDATE
Self Study Training commences 5/8
Classroom Training @ STA 5/13 9am – 1:30pm
For more information please contact Sharon Dobbs @gmail.com, or you may call the parish secretary at 773-324-2626.
University of Chicago Volunteers have returned post COVID restrictions. People interested in serving as a Minister of Care at the UC Hospitals can return as a Volunteer if you have been trained previously, or sign up for Spring 2023 Training.
For people interested in volunteering at the University of Chicago Hospitals, here is a link to requirements for volunteers at the UC Hospitals. You can complete a volunteer form that will start the volunteer process. The forms below need to be submitted for you to attend this class.
General Volunteer Information:
http://www.uchospitals.edu/contact/volunteer/
Volunteer Form:
https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?ap=475434204