Surprise gift enables parish to establish senior ministry

BY PAT PASTERNAK
STAFF WRITER

In December, St. Joseph's Church in Stephentown, a mission of Immaculate Conception parish in New Lebanon, received a surprise Christmas gift: a large grant to initiate a much-needed senior ministry.

The funding, totaling approximately $10,000, was given by a family that has visited the church for years. It will fund activities for seniors in an area of nearly 400 square miles in southern Rensselaer and northern Columbia counties.

Rev. John Close, pastor, asked Mary Linton to guide the new ministry until the parish council can appoint a permanent coordinator.

Travel time

The first task for Ms. Linton, a registered nurse who holds a graduate degree in aging studies, was to form an advisory team to devise a program that will meet specific needs of seniors.

One need is clear, she noted: "There is an obvious lack of transportation for our seniors here, especially when they must travel to the Capital District for doctor's and hospital appointments. We've been aware of this need for a while."

Volunteer drivers were asked to take seniors to examinations and tests, and money was set aside to reimburse the drivers for gas.

"Taking a person into the Capital District entails using a significant amount of gas," she said, "and we want our volunteers to know they are appreciated."

Isolation

Another issue, she said, is that many parishioners are widowed and isolated from other members of the community by long distances.

With the donation, Ms. Linton and the advisory board were able to put together a program to address that need and to provide an avenue for social interaction and faith formation for seniors. A monthly breakfast will be held at the parish so that seniors can gather for a meal and to hear a speaker.

"We thought it would be fun for them to have the benefit of a speaker or presenter, someone that would be able to give them helpful information on issues pertaining to senior life," Ms. Linton explained.

The first speaker was Father Close, who presented an overview of the new ministry. He also asked for their input about how the outreach can help meet their needs.

More to do

Ms. Linton has some ideas for new programs, but she wants the new ministry to move forward slowly.

"Because we are a rural faith community, the needs of our seniors may be different from those that live in urban areas," she explained. "What we are most concerned with at this time is to see that our seniors form a core group who will nurture and support them.

"We are very grateful for this opportunity to better serve our senior parishioners. The grant is a wonderful gesture that will help us do that."

(The breakfast for seniors is scheduled for Feb. 22 at the parish hall. Sister Ann Bryan Smollin, CSJ, will speak on coping with grief and loss. Call 794-7651 to register.)

(02/14/08) [[In-content Ad]]