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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1987)
f And service seems to beget ser vice, Mrs. Clarkin observed. “Once you’ve served a family, they all want to help out in some way.” The widower of a cancer victim Mrs. Clarkin had helped, for ex ample, is now one of the parish’s most active and relied-on drivers. □ □ □ Frequently deep friendships develop between the ministers and those they serve. Mrs. Clarkin tells of one family she has served for eight years. The mother, a vic tim of multiple sclerosis, is now confined to a wheelchair with the use of only one arm. One son, in his late 20s, has Down’s syndrome. Although Mrs. Clarkin’s ministry to the family began by bringing them Communion after Sunday Mass, she gradually became more involved as she learned through conversations of the woman’s other concerns and her loneliness. Today she helps out in ways that go far beyond what one might consider official ministry. When the woman needed a dress for one son’s wedding but was unable to shop for it, Mrs. Clarkin arranged to take some dresses home from a dress shop for the woman to try on. Another time the woman suspected her son was ill, but he was not able to communicate what was wrong. She phoned Mrs. Clarkin, who came over to take the young man’s temperature and call the doctor. “Just because you can’t get to church doesn’t mean you’re not part of the church,” she said. (Ms. Liebhart is associate editor of Faith Today.) Ministering to the sick and suffering is fundamental to parish life — a sign that Christ continues to be present in the world today, writes Cindy Liebhort. She interviews Elaine Clarkin, who helps coordinate some 40 volunteer ministers to the sick in a Maryland parish. Through the variety of ser vices they perform, Mrs. Clarkin soys, ministers bring the core ond concern of the entire parish to the sick, helping them to remember they belong. Supplement to The Georgia Bulletin, May 21, 1987 □ Faith Toda A supplement to Catholic newspapers published by NATIONAL CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE 1312 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. with grant assistance from The Catholic Church EXTENSION Society 35 East Wadser Dr., Chicago, Illinois 60601 All contents copyright© 1967 by NC News Service. Mrs. Clarkin has served as a minister to the sick and elderly for eight years. A nurse by profes sion, she had taken a few weeks off between jobs when she notic ed a bulletin announcement that said several terminally ill parishioners needed help at home. She responded to the announce ment and never went back to work full time — at least not the kind you get paid for. She now helps to coordinate some 40 volunteers at St. John the Baptist who formally carry out ministry to the sick and elderly. They bring the Eucharist to the sick after Sunday Mass; drive peo ple to and from doctor’s appoint ments and chemotherapy treat ments; help out with shopping and housekeeping; run errands; cook meals; support family members as they come to grips with the illness; and perhaps most important, spend time just visiting. By serving the sick, Mrs. Clarkin said, “we are living out our bap tismal call to form community,” both among the ministers themselves and with the people they serve. By bringing the care and concern of the parish to the sick, ministers help them to remember they belong. Bringing the parish to the sick By Cindy Liebhart NC News Service T he family was in serious trouble, the caller said. The young woman had just had a baby, but because of a ruptured disc she was confined to complete bedrest, unable even to sit up. Her husband had used up all his vaca tion time weeks earlier caring for her, their infant and their two other small children. He was now in danger of losi his job if he didn’t return to work, the caller continued. But they couldn’t afford a private nurse and they didn’t know anyone who could help. Could the parish do something, even though the family didn’t belong? Elaine Clarkin, co-leader of ministry to the sick and elderly at St. John the Baptist Parish in Silver Spring, Md., promised the caller she would try. Then came a godsend. That evening at a regular meeting for parish ministers to the sick, a new woman joined the group. Recently widowed, the woman had just moved to the area to live with her daughter while deciding what to do next. Now that her husband was gone she really felt no one needed her. When Mrs. Clarkin told her of the young family’s plight and took her to meet them, the woman “went home, packed up her pa jamas and toothbrush, and moved in with the family that night,” Mrs. Clarkin said. She stayed with them for six weeks, cooking, cleaning, caring for the children, while the mother recuperated. That people turn to parishes for help when illness and its accom panying difficulties strike should come as no surprise. For ministering to the sick and suffering is a fun damental activity of parish life — a sign that Christ continues to be present in the world today. Judging from the stream of phone calls Mrs. Clarkin receives, those who suffer are many — and their needs great. How do parishes meet this challenge? Mrs. Clarkin’s story helps to illustrate.
