Catholic Laity in Pastoral Care Ministry – Equipping, Coordinating, Sustaining

Metropolitan Houston is geographically massive, with several large urban hospitals and many smaller suburban, regional hospitals. While the diocesan program addresses the needs of both types, workshop emphasizes the coordination of ministry between neighborhood parishes, hospitals and senior facilities.

Catholic laypersons, who feel called to caring ministry, want to be challenged to grow in skill and knowledge. This introductory program addresses this diocesan need with a clinically-based pedagogy and a Catholic-grounded curriculum designed to enhance skill, increase knowledge and solidify identity.

The initial nine elements of the curriculum are presented, including foundational essays for Catholic pastoral care, spiritual screening, pastoral identity, HIPAA review, and related-ERDs. Written assignments also reviewed: Ministry Verbatim reports, Reflection Papers on Competency topics, and Personal Grief Narrative; and reading assignment: All Our Losses, All Our Griefs, Mitchell and Anderson.

The program’s emphasis on empathic listening is undergirded theoretically by Henri Nouwen and Herbert Anderson and is developed through analysis of effective and less effective responses in sample verbatims and an experiential “Tracking” exercise. Facilitation of the person’s narrative is discussed, including the judicious use of “helping responses” and disclosure of personal history.

A review of the program’s curriculum is continued, including such topics as pastoral presence, distinctiveness of Pastoral Visitor role, and pastoral care “rules of thumb.” Attention is also given to nature and use of intercessory Prayer, both written and extemporaneous. Finally, the appropriate use of Scripture is discussed, along with selection of pastorally-sensitive biblical texts.

A significant factor in sustaining and enhancing sacramental and pastoral care ministry in suburban, regional hospitals and senior care facilities has been the creation of the Lay Coordinator position and recruitment, training, and supporting of Pastoral Visitors. The Coordinator’s relationship with an assigned Priest, Pastoral Visitors parish leadership, and these health-care institutions and the diverse ways of sustaining the Pastoral Visitors are explained.