The Health Ministry of Our Lady of Mercy (OLM) Parish in the Whippany neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., encourages health promotion and disease prevention “to help the community live full, productive lives while building on the healing ministry of Jesus Christ,” said Kathy Dittrick, a co-leader of the outreach and a retired nurse.
Health ministries in parishes in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey typically do not provide “hands-on” healthcare but instead offer parishioners prevention advice and guidance on when to see a doctor, refer them to professionals and other community resources, and even accompany them to a doctor’s appointment.
Health ministries collaborate with their pastors and other parish ministries to make sure homebound and sick parishioners receive the sacraments. They also manage the list of prayers for the sick, host educational programs, post health information in the bulletins, and provide blood pressure screenings after Masses.
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Dittrick and Marlene Peterson, another co-leader of the Health Ministry at OLM and a retired pharmacist, are coordinating a Healing Mass on Saturday, March 7, at 11 a.m., celebrated by Father Michal Rybinski, the parish pastor. The Mass is part of their group’s mission to bring Jesus Christ’s healing to the faithful. Deacon Vincent LoBello will assist with the liturgy. The church is handicapped accessible. All are welcome.
Parish nursing is a specialty area of professional nursing that combines nursing and ministry in a faith community. Retired or active professionals in the parishes volunteer their time and expertise.
Years ago, Dittrick and Maryann Johnston, a retired nurse and chair of the Health and Wellness Ministry at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, took a parish nursing course offered at St. Elizabeth University in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J.
Johnston said, “People turn to their faith-based communities first when they are having problems because there is trust there.”
In a parish community, “people tend to feel comfortable talking to health ministry team members about diet and exercise,” Peterson said.
Notre Dame has partnered with the memory care facility Arden Courts in Whippany to run a support group for parishioners caring for someone with dementia.
“Most people don’t know that dementia is a terminal disease. We walk them through all the nursing needs and emotional needs during this journey,” Johnston said.
The ministries at both parishes are grateful for their pastors, including Father Vidal Gonzales of Notre Dame, who provide support and encouragement.
“The word ‘hope’ is very important because they come to us and we give them hope,” Peterson said.
Johnston said, “The most important part of our ministry is caring for the spiritual needs of our parishioners.”
Health Ministries often draw on the professional expertise of parishioners to present programs, such as a psychologist speaking on coping with lifestyle changes or a deacon giving a talk on the spiritual needs of caregivers. Notre Dame’s Health and Wellness Ministry refers parishioners to community agencies such as the Mental Health Association in Morris County, Johnston said.
Members often help parishioners facing difficult situations.
“We are always following parishioners’ situations or getting calls,” Johnston said. “Jesus said, ‘I was sick, and you visited me.’ I think we’re fulfilling that mission — caring for the sick, the isolated, and the marginalized.”
