What is Pastoral Care Ministry?
The purpose of Pastoral Ministry is to facilitate the work of the Church be reaching out to meet the special needs of the sick and frail elderly, the homebound, and to those who are experiencing loss.
There are many aspects to our Pastoral Care Ministry at St. Martin's Parish. For more information about the various ministries within this ministry, please follow the links to the left of this page.
Leslie Plecque is the Director of Pastoral Care and Outreach, and can be reached by calling (408) 289-9617, ext. 16 , Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Ministry to the Homebound and Hospitalized
St. Martin's Parish provides a variety of ministries. Among these is outreach to our homebound parishioners and any persons who are sick, infirm or convalescing.
Volunteers individually visit these parishioners, pray with them and bring them the Eucharist if they cannot attend the regular masses. A short service might include a scripture reading, prayer, petitions and sharing of the Eucharist. The visit also includes some social time including appropriate discussion relevant to the person being visited. Care givers and relatives are included in sharing the Eucharist and the discussions that precede and follow the communion service. These visits are normally done weekly and usually last about one hour or less, but may occur more frequently as the situation warrants.
Volunteers attend a training session and may “shadow” an experienced volunteer until they feel ready to strike out on their own. One of the parish priests may also visit these homebound persons monthly. If a person is too ill to receive communion, the volunteers are still there to share prayer, scripture readings and be a presence to bring comfort.
If you know of a homebound person in the community who could benefit from this ministry, please contact Leslie Plecque at the Bailey House (289-9617). Also if you would like to become a part of this ministry, contact Leslie to join our ministry.
Pastoral Care Commission
St. Martin of Tours Pastoral Care Commission is a group of Christians called from and by the parish members to foster the building up of the community expressed and articulated through a loving concern for all people.
It is our goal to offer spiritual, social, and emotional support in the following ways:
- By providing pastoral services which include visiting the sick, bringing Eucharist, and being a resource for individual and families in times of need.
- By providing pastoral services which are sacramental in nature and administered by a priest, such as the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.
- By providing one-to-one peer support through Befriender Ministry to those who experience loss and by providing group support as needed.
- By providing educational and spiritual enrichment opportunities for pastoral care ministers and for the parish community at large through appropriate programs.
We realize the unique dignity of each person and that our service is an extension of that love and concern of Christ.
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