A Ministry of Presence
This is a service to our parishioners who are homebound; those who are no longer able to physically come to church, usually due to illness or advanced age, to fully participate in the social and sacramental life of the community. The homebound are served by regular visits, usually for an hour and on a weekly basis, by trained pastoral care workers, for the purpose of reinforcing the person's self-appreciation and sense of belonging to the church and keeping the homebound connected to Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish community.
Each visit consists of two essential parts: first, a time of personal interaction, when the pastoral visitor listens actively to the person visited; and second, a time of prayer, usually centered on the serving of Holy Communion. You are asked to refer a friend, a relative, or anyone in the parish who may benefit from this service of regular pastoral visits to the Pastoral Home Care Ministry team, through the pastor, the parish office or the ministry coordinator. As this ministry is delivered by volunteers who are from within our parish, all in the parish are invited to discern if they are called to this particular way of loving and serving, this ministry of presence to one's neighbour.
