EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS TO SICK AND HOMEBOUND
In-person visits to the homebound and elderly may be arranged through the Pastoral Care Office. This includes visits to healthcare, nursing and assisted living facilities at the at the discretion of the specific location. Please call x6019 for details.
These volunteer ministers pray for, visit and bring Eucharist to caregivers and Catholics whose health or situation prevents them from coming to church on Sunday.
Contact:
Linda Walsh, RN
lwalshrn@st-ann.org
770-552-6400 x6019
BRINGING PEACE AND FAITH: MINISTERS SHARE EUCHARIST WITH HOMEBOUND
There’s a quiet moment toward the end of each Mass that you just might miss if you’re not looking.
A parishioner or two or three gather around the celebrant after communion for a blessing. Each holds a small container, called a pyx, which contains consecrated hosts to be distributed to people who cannot attend Mass. These parishioners are Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist to the Sick and Homebound and they are godsends to many.
“It is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” said Tim Wynkoop, a ministry volunteer, who found himself on the receiving end of the EMSH ministry after a car wreck many years ago. “Dick Hegeman delivered communion to me and I just thought that was really nice.”
The training to become one of these special angels is simple but exact and all starts with becoming a Eucharistic minister at Mass. EMSH volunteers make visits to individuals’ homes (about 17 right now) and seven nursing facilities, primarily on Sundays.
Wynkoop, who has a medical background, has brought the Eucharist to all kinds of homebound or sick people, including those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
“You may feel like there’s no awareness there, but when you start saying the Our Father, they recite it. It’s a very emotional response,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to know that God is with us every step of the way.”
Pictured: Elaine Levine brings the Eucharist to a resident of Elmcroft, an assisted-living facility.