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Hospital Ministry Brings the Body and Spirit of Christ to Others
As a community, we always pray for the sick and homebound. Here at Queen of the Holy Rosary, the volunteers of the Hospital Ministry take an extra step by bringing the Eucharist to those who are unable to attend Mass in person. Although the ministry has not yet been able to resume activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers look forward to the day they can return to serving Catholics in the hospital as well as homebound parishioners. By bringing them Communion and praying with them, the ministry is able to share the spirit of Christ as well as the Body of Christ.
“It is such a privilege to take the Body of Christ to others,” says ministry leader Evelyn VanGoethem. “I know I would want someone to visit me if I were in the hospital, and the Eucharist is such an important part of our faith. I believe the Eucharist gives strength to those in the hospital.”
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Evelyn has been involved in the Hospital Ministry for the last 11 years, and the ministry has been a staple at the parish since the late 1980s. In addition to taking the Eucharist to homebound parishioners by request, volunteers bring Communion to AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Hospital during non-pandemic times every other Sunday, as well as five weekdays each month.
“We usually go as a team of three or four people,” Evelyn says. “The team meets for prayers and then each team member goes to individual rooms. The hospital provides a list of patients who are Catholic. The patient may elect to receive Holy Communion, or they may just want to pray or visit for a few minutes. After I finish, I take time to pray for those I’ve just visited.”
Evelyn VanGoethem has been involved in the Hospital Ministry for the past 11 years.
“I feel it brings joy and comfort to those unable to attend Mass at such a stressful time,” says ministry member Nancy Rafferty.
In addition to serving at the hospital, Nancy also started bringing Communion to homebound parishioners at the onset of the pandemic.
“During COVID, I started taking Communion to two homebound ladies in their 90s each Sunday,” she says. “This means a great deal to the ladies I see weekly, and it is now part of my Sunday routine.”
Evelyn first joined the ministry because she wanted to give back to the community, and over time it has become an important part of her life. During the worst days of the pandemic, Evelyn was able to relate to the people that she serves through the Hospital Ministry and looks forward to the day she can serve them again.
“I feel truly blessed to be a part of this ministry, and I often feel like I get more out of the ministry than those we serve,” she says. “I think during COVID, we all experienced isolation. I understood why we couldn’t be in the hospital, but I missed being able to participate in the ministry. We have not been to the hospital since March 2020, and while at this point, I don’t know exactly when we’ll be able to resume our ministry, we hope to return in a couple of months.”
