Threshold Winter 2007

"All are to be welcomed as Christ, . . . especially those who share our faith"
(RB 53:1,2)

Pastoral ministry in a parish setting is one of the areas of service in which many Mount sisters have been engaged over the last decades. Some have been primarily responsible for a particular part of parish life, such as caring for the pastoral needs of the senior members or young people, while others have been called upon to care for multiple needs, act as general assistants to the clergy, or even become primary administrators of a parish in the absence of a full-time resident pastor. Two sisters who have spent many years in this field offer a glimpse of their ministries.

Sister Marilyn Schieber works as a pastoral associate at Christ the King in Kansas City, Kansas. Her job description is lengthy and includes sacramental preparation, catechesis, liturgy, and assisting the pastor in virtually every aspect of parish life. Any given day may include many diverse experiences. Here are some examples.

I received a phone call from our pastor asking, “Can you do something for a lady who has just been notified that her daughter was killed in Iraq?” When I arrived, I learned that two men had come in the early morning hours to notify her of her daughter’s death. She could not deal with the news so she closed the door on them. I learned that she was an inactive Catholic and had not been to church for some time. She cried, we talked, we prayed, she cried some more. All I could do was listen to her, be present to her, and share in her grief. She asked me if we could pray the rosary.

After two hours and many phone calls, I was preparing to ask Catholic Charities for a meeting with a counselor to help her through this. The pastor suggested that we contact Fort Riley to confirm the death. After red tape in phoning, the chaplain there said that they had not had any confirmed deaths recently from the daughter’s unit. Before I left her home, she had spoken to her daughter in Iraq via cell phone and was very relieved to realize that she had just had a very bad dream.

In reflecting on the three-plus hours I spent with this woman, I was friend, counselor, social worker, spiritual companion, and presence to this woman in need. It was a special grace to me.

On another day, I took my car for an oil change. The mechanic’s wife is a member of our parish. When the receptionist notified me that the car was ready to be picked up, she informed me that the mechanic’s wife was in K.U. Medical Center with heart failure and not doing well.

I made my way to the hospital. Margaret was in cardiac intensive care, having a difficult time trying to decide whether to have a needed surgical procedure. She and her husband, having experienced the death of their 45-year-old daughter the previous month, were in deep grief, adding to the present cross they carried.
I sat with the family – in and out of intensive care – listened to them and tried to be compassionate. During the nearly two hours I was there, I was able to arrange for the hospital chaplain to celebrate the Anointing of the Sick with Margaret, and she was able to make the decision to have the procedure.

This was a graced moment for me. I feel most satisfied in my ministry when I can be present to people when they are most vulnerable, during liturgy, during happy timesand trying times, and as they carry their crosses. Presence is one of the most important parts of my ministry.

Pictured at right: Mary Lou Hueser (l.) and Ginger Waterman go over last minute details for their mother’s funeral at Christ the King Church with Sister Marilyn (center).

Sister Ann Diettrich works in a combined ministry for four parishes in Kansas City, Kansas.

This is my thirteenth year as Minister of Care at Sacred Heart & St. John the Evangelist (Our Lady of Unity Parish). For the past five years, I have added this same ministry at two additional parishes: St. Joseph/St. Benedict & Sts. Cyril & Methodius (now All Saints Parish).

My ministry entails taking the Eucharist to homebound parishioners and visiting parishioners in area hospitals and nursing facilities. I also help the pastors with wakes and funeral services. As director of the Parish Ministry of Care Program, I train other dedicated men and women to share in our caring ministry as well. They assist with home visits, phone calls, greeting cards, and provide a prayer chain for parish needs and intentions.

I retired from early childhood teaching after 30 years and took chaplaincy training at Bethany Hospital to prepare for this ministry. My work has come naturally because, as a child, I was exposed early to death. Three of my grandparents came at different times to live with us. They all died in our home, and my grandfather was even waked in our living room.

As a monastic woman my ministry is especially meaningful to me. Benedict says in his Rule, “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else, so that they may truly be served as Christ,” and “Day by day remind yourself that you are going to die.” It is a privilege for me to minister to the infirm, elderly, lonely, dying and bereaved in parishes where I work. They teach me daily how to live and how to die.
One of the best parts of this work is that I only walk down the hall to get there. My office is at Sacred Heart, in the same building where I live!