HEALING
MINISTRY
Pastoral Visits and Homebound Ministry
Pre-Hospital Anointing
Little in life is as precious to us as our health. It is necessary for our wholeness and well-being, as we all continue to answer the call of God in our lives. For this reason, we need and long for Christian support, comfort, and assurances if we are undergoing a major surgical procedure and/or hospitalization. Throughout the history of the Church, the ministry to the sick has been a major part of the works of mercy in parish life. If you or a family member is scheduled to enter the hospital and you wish to be anointed prior to being hospitalized, please contact the parish office at 740-363-4641 to arrange a date and time.
Hospital Visits
If you or a family member is hospitalized and wishes to have a member of the Pastoral Staff visit and bring Communion, please contact the parish office at 740-363-4641 with the name of the person hospitalized, the name of the hospital, the date of hospitalization, and a contact name and phone number.
Today, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick includes all who need healing, especially the sick and the chronically ill as well as the dying. The priest prays over the one to be anointed and then anoints the forehead and palms with oil that were specially blessed by the bishop of the diocese on Holy Thursday. The sacrament, as the continuing healing power of Christ, may at times affect a physical cure or improvement, but more often it provides spiritual strength to bear sickness and trust in God. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is a reminder of the saving value of suffering in union with Jesus. If the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is needed, please let the parish office know when you call.
Homebound Parishioners
Volunteer Ministers of Holy Communion make pastoral visits to homebound parishioners on a regular basis. Please contact the parish office at 740-363-4641 to arrange these visits.
Nursing Home Visits
The Holy Mass is offered on a regular basis at some of the nursing homes in the area. If a nursing home resident is unable to attend Mass, please notify the parish office at 740-363-4641 to arrange individual pastoral visits.
Bereavement Committee
The Bereavement Committee members are individuals who prepare food and serve a funeral luncheon for the family and friends of any deceased parish member. We are blessed to have over 60 parishioners who are part of four teams. For smaller funerals, only one team may be called to provide the food and service. For larger funerals, all teams may be called to help.
This ministry provides luncheons predominately at Rodman-Neeper Community Room and only in rare instances uses the Beitel Commons in the school. The ministry works on an “as needed” basis which can sometimes require multiple services in a single week.
Members have expressed their love of this ministry because it expresses their concern and comfort for the family in their time of need.
If you would like to join, or for further information, please see the Bereavement Committee liaison listed in our Parish Guide.
Grief Support
St. Mary’s is pleased to provide a grief support group for parishioners who have experienced the loss of a loved one in the recent past. We would like to invite you to spend some time with others in the St. Mary’s family who truly understand the daily challenges of living a new and different life to find support and healing. We were pleased to begin this ministry in March of this year and have hosted several events. Please feel free to reach out to either Diane or Kathy with any questions and we invite you to join us for our next gathering. Please watch the bulletin and church announcements for an upcoming date.
For more information, please contact:
Diane Beitel at dibeitel@gmail.com or 740-803-3111
Kathy Mills at biemil51@gmail.com or 614-582-1936