The spiritual needs of our sick, homebound, hospitalized, and institutionalized parishioners are very important to us here at the Parish of St. Teresa of Calcutta.  We want very much to keep them in prayer, provide pastoral visits, and make sure they have full access to the sacraments.

In order to provide proper pastoral care, we first of all have to know who is in need of these ministries.  The number of priests available for full, or part time, hospital ministry is decreasing, and the local pastor is now more directly responsible for his own parishioners.  For years, hospital and nursing home volunteers would call parishes and inform them that a parishioner had been admitted.  This is no longer the case.

April 14, 2003 was the deadline for compliance with the federal law entitled, “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).  This law seeks to safeguard   individuals’ privacy regarding health matters.  It not only impacts our ability to find out who is in the hospital, and what their condition is, but it also has ramifications about how our Prayer Line functions.

You can help us minister to our sick, homebound, hospitalized, and institutionalized parishioners in a variety of ways, such as: providing us the proper information when you or a family member is in need of care, respecting the privacy of other friends and acquaintances, or volunteering to pray for, take communion to, or visit your fellow parishioners.  Here are a few practical suggestions.

HOW CAN I HELP

When you are going to the hospital

• Inform the Parish Office as soon as you know the date of admittance.
• If you are not able to inform the Parish yourself, ask a member of your immediate family to do so for you.
• You may request the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick be celebrated prior to admittance, or when you are in the hospital.
• You, or a member of your immediate family with your permission, may place your name on our Prayer List.

If you are homebound or in a healthcare facility or in assisted living either permanently or temporarily:

• Please call the Parish Office as soon as possible.
• If you are not able to inform the Parish, ask a member of your immediate family to do so.
• You may request Anointing of the Sick, Communion, Confession, and/or pastoral visits.

Home bound members of the Parish, or their family members, should notify the Parish Office to make arrangements for an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to bring Holy Communion. We are happy to accommodate both short and long term needs. Initial and ongoing training and spiritual formation are provided. We bring the Eucharist to the sick in nursing homes, assisted living, in their homes. Please consider helping to bring Jesus to your fellow parishioners.

If you are already an Extraordinary Minister and want to bring the Eucharist to the sick, contact our Parish’s Pastoral Associate, Deacon Bob Armstrong, at 732-774-0456, ext. 102, or e-mail him at pastoralassoc@stocp.org.

For more information, please contact our Parish’s Pastoral Associate, Deacon Bob Armstrong, at 732-774-0456, ext. 102.