Diocesan official to coordinate services Parishes providing pastoral care will receive help and training

In an effort to provide pastoral care to the growing number of people in need throughout the region, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has hired a Coordinator of Pastoral Care. 

"My job is to find out what is happening in parishes now with pastoral care," Ms. Harley McDevitt explained. "Some of the parishes we've dealt with are fairly well organized; however, we would like to provide education and support."

David Amico, director of the Office of Ministry Formation, oversaw the project.

"Demands for pastoral care continue to increase for those in hospitals, adult facilities, and the homebound," Mr. Amico said.

Pastoral care covers a wide range of services, from parish nurse programs to bringing Communion to the homebound or peer support among parishioners. These are usually provided by volunteers and often coordinated by a part-time parish staff member. 

Ms. McDevitt attends our Lady of Assumption Church in Latham. She earned a master's degree from SUNY Plattsburgh in College and Agency Counseling and is a licensed mental health counselor and a credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor. 

Taking stock 
The position is a three-year, 25-hour per week job. 

There are a number of essential job functions, including being able to identify pastoral care ministers and personnel within the deaneries and parishes and adult facilities within the diocese. Ms. McDevitt will also meet regularly with David Amico, and coordinate, as well as expand on, current educational, formational and networking opportunities available for pastoral care leaders.

To do this, a program will be set up that will provide training for people called "Train the Trainers."

"The idea," explained Ms. McDevitt, "is to find out who are the key people in the parish, train them, and then they can go back to their parish and practice their skills."

Building up 
Another quality not listed in the job description, according to Mr. Amico, is "to give us a handle on who is out there and what is happening in pastoral care, and what the needs are."

"I've been spending most of my time researching other dioceses," Ms. McDevitt said. "I'm finding out there aren't many dioceses that have this program. Our plan is to visit parishes and see what's working and what's not."

The process has been approved by the Diocese. Offi-cials were urged to look for grant money to establish the position. That funding came from the Diocesan Capital Campaign Leadership Grants, as well as the John, Marie, and Joseph Whalen Foundation.

"The idea is not to burden a parish," Ms. McDevitt explained. "We're here to support them and help them."

How it's done
One of the best diocesan programs Harley has come upon is in Trenton, New Jersey.

"I will be visiting the diocese down there to see what they're doing and discuss how we can bring that here."

She also noted she will be visiting her family in Orlando, Florida, which also has an esteemed program.

"This is just a research time," she pointed out. "It's a time to scope out the ideas and see what we can do to help the sick and elderly. We're not re-inventing the wheel."

(12/04/08)