ONGOING FORMATION
OF MINISTERS OF CARE TO THE SICK


Additional Formation: Ministers of Care to the Sick
are strongly encouraged to take advantage of additional
formation and days of reflection to deepen their faith
and reflect on their experience within this ministry.
Programs are offered periodically through the Office
for Divine Worship and other groups of qualified
individuals.

 

 

Delegation: In your care for this ministry please be
reminded that only those who have received explicit
delegation may be called upon to regularly assist
with the distribution of Holy Communion to the sick
and homebound. Those delegated may not begin
their service until they have participated in a
formation program that prepares them to understand
this ministry and enriches their faith and appreciation
of the Eucharist.

 

Structure of programs: Parishes or institutions should exercise great care to make sure their formation program for auxiliary ministers to the sick is designed to cover the six mandated topics listed below. Once a program has been completed, the pastor or chaplain of a parish or institution needs to submit names and addresses of the minister of care candidates and state that they have completed the program. These persons will then be officially mandated.

Topics Covered: Parish training programs should be a minimum of twelve hours. They should be conducted by a qualified ordained, lay or religious facilitator and include at least the following six topics:

    A. The Spirituality of the Minister
         The Call to Ministry
         Ecclesiastical Identify of the Minister  
         The Prayer Life of the Minister

B. The Experience of Suffering:
        Aging, Chronic Illness, Death and Dying 
        Special Pastoral Concerns,
            e.g. People living with HIV, Hospice Care, etc.

C. Pastoral Listening Skills:
         How to Listen and How to Respond

D. Theology of Suffering and Sickness:
         What does our Catholic Tradition teach us?
         How do we communicate this to others?

E. Ministerial Procedures:
         Relating to the health care agency, hospice,
               chaplain, family of the sick  or homebound 
         Reviewing local hospital policies and
               procedures for ministerial visits

F. Prayer and Sacraments: 
        Theological Dimensions
               and Practical Administration 
        A Thorough Familiarity with
              Pastoral Care of the Sick 
        A Review of Eucharistic Theology.     
   
These sessions do not have to be given in the order
shown above.  The purpose of the outline is to list the
areas that need to be covered in the training program.

Questions or requests for advice on designing basic
Minister of Care programming or Mandation information
should be directed to:

 

Mr. D. Todd Williamson, Director

Office for Divine Worship

3525 S. Lake Park

Chicago, IL60462 1101

Phone: 312-534.5153
E-Mail: twilliam@odw.org

Fax: 773.486.5158

 Mandating of Persons
Who Complete a Basic Training Course

 

Pastors or those who coordinate Minister of Care
Ministries in their parishes should request certificates
and ID cards mandating individual/s who have/has
completed the initial training. This should be done in
writing on parish letterhead. This can be faxed to our
office at 312-534-5158. This letter should contain
the name of the individual/s and the training location
and program attended.

 

Letters for certificates and ID cards should be written
to the attention of Mr. D. Todd Williamson, Director of the
Office for Divine Worship.  Certificates and ID cards, to be
completed by the parish, will be mailed from our office.


Please allow seven (7) working days for delivery.
Certificates and ID cards can be issued in English,
Spanish or Polish. Please indicate how any certificates
you will need and in what language/s. 

 

For example, a parish may have 13 newly trained individuals 

who would like their certificates/ID cards as follows:
10 in English, 2 in Spanish and 1 in Polish. 

 

 

Renewing of Persons
Who are Mandated Ministers of Care

 

After Labor Day of each year, letters are sent to
pastors in parishes whose cycle is ending. This
mailing contains forms to complete and return to the
Office for Divine Worship for their parish's new,
full 3 year term. When the paperwork has been
received, new certificates and ID cards will be
issued to the parish to be completed for individuals
who will be continuing their service in this ministry.  

Term of Service For Ministers of Care

All parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago are
divided alphabetically into 3 year terms or cycles
of service as follows:


 Cycle A: Parishes or institutions starting
                 with letter "A" through "G"

Example: St. Adalbert to St. Gregory the Great
Dates for Cycle A:
December 2, 2001 to November 28, 2004

Cycle B Parishes or institutions starting
               with letter "H" through "M"

Example: St. Hedwig to Mother of God
Dates for Cycle B:
December 1, 2002 to November 27, 2005


Cycle C: Parishes or institutions starting

                with the letter "N" to "Z" 

 

Example: Nativity of Our Lord to St. Zachary
Dates for Cycle C:
November 30, 2003 to December 3, 3006

 

If a person has received training and wishes
to begin serving during the parish or institution's
current term, their time of service is the
remainder of that particular cycle.

 

Commissioning of
Ministers of Care to the Sick

 

You will find the "Rite of Commissioning
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion"
in Chapter 63 of the Book of Blessings
(Roman Ritual, 1989).  This can be used
for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy
Communion at Mass or Ministers of Care.