Pastoral Care Ministry
Pastoral Care is the unconditional caring response to meeting the spiritual needs of the lonely, the shut-in, the grieving, the imprisoned, the sick and the dying. Our volunteers bring Christ’s healing presence and comfort through listening, praying, and bringing of the Eucharist to those unable to attend Mass.
Diocesan Pastoral Care Course: Spring 2019
Would you like to become involved with St. Michael’s Pastoral Care Ministry? Currently, we are in need of volunteers who will help visit the sick and shut-in at home or at care facilities.
By taking the Diocesan Pastoral Care Course, you will be introduced to basic visiting skills, which is also a prerequisite prior to serving in a parish’s pastoral care ministry.
This course will be held at St. Luke’s Parish (1566 Northmount Dr. NW) on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., beginning May 1 until June 5, 2019. Registration cost is $50.
How to register
- Call the Diocese at 403 218 5501, or
- Email healthcareprograms@calgarydiocese.ca.
St Michael’s Pastoral Care includes the following ministries:
- Amica
- Funeral Services and Receptions
- Cedars Villa and Wentworth Manor & Court
- Grief Support
- Home Visits
- Healing Prayer
- Palliative Care Ministry
Descriptions
- Amica – Mass is celebrated on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 3:30 pm at Amica at Aspenwoods.
- Funeral Services and Receptions – Volunteers provide assistance at funeral Masses by serving as Altar Servers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. In addition, volunteers are available to assist at receptions following funerals.
- Cedars Villa and Wentworth Manor & Court – Each week following the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass, a Liturgy of the Word with Communion is given by a volunteer family for residents at Cedars Villa. In addition, volunteers attend at Cedars Villa once a week on Wednesday mornings to assist at the weekly Mass and to visit with the residents. At Wentworth Court, a lay-led Communion Service is held on the 1st Wednesday of the month and Mass is celebrated on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. At Wentworth Manor, Mass is celebrated on the 4th Tuesday of the month. Families, including children, are encouraged to visit the shut-in as their visits bring joy, love, caring, and humor to the residents. They truly delight in your visit!
- Grief Support –The Grief Support Ministry offers companionship to those who have experienced loss. The grief support volunteer meets the individual who has suffered a loss on a one-to-one basis. They meet regularly, as mutually agreed upon, until the griever feels that he/she has accepted the loss and is able to live with the new reality. The volunteer also provides the griever with information and relevant resources during the journey. The grief journey includes prayer time for healing, with emphasis on visits to the Blessed Sacrament.
- Home Visits – Home visitors complete a formation program to become Extraordinary Ministers of Communion. They provide the Eucharist, support and a continuing contact with St. Michael’s Community for those unable to attend church.
- Healing Prayer – Healing Prayer Ministry is composed of a small number of people called to pray for members of the Body of Christ who request healing, usually spiritual, physical, emotional. A healing prayer service is also held every second Tuesday of the month immediately after the 7 p.m. Mass. For more info or to set an appointment, please call the parish office at 403-249-0423.