The Importance of Parish Visiting

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another”, John 13:34
By Wendy Lovely

In April and May this year, Sue Graham, Jenny Tuffin and I took a Pastoral Visiting Course at St. Jude’s in Oakville. The course was run by Dr. Margaret Brockett, a teacher and parishioner of St. Jude’s.

We met over a period of five weeks with six other parishioners of St. Jude’s and each morning with Morning Prayer. The course was based upon a book by Jean Vanier, Becoming Human. Each week we would read a chapter at home and then discuss it at our meeting.

The first chapter was on Loneliness, and after some discussion we watched a video concerning how lonely people can become upon the death of a spouse or a family member. This was especially hard to share for several participants as they had recently experienced such a loss.

The following weeks were followed by discussions on Belonging, From Exclusion to Inclusion, The Path to Freedom, and finally, Forgiveness. During our discussions, we talked about the vulnerability of older people and how they may need an advocate. They need to know that somebody is looking out for them and have their best interests at heart. They need to know that someone is listening and cares just for them.

Our homework one week was to bring in and examine information that would be useful to us as visitors. Topics ranged from Programs for Seniors to End of Life Decisions.

St. Jude’s in Oakville has a very active and caring Pastoral Visiting Group called Caring and Sharing. It is run by Dr. Margaret Brockett and Jean Ross. They meet regularly with their clergy and with their visitors. St. Jude’s also has a Pantry run by the Caring and Sharing group so that they have something to take when they visit.

The aim of Parish Visiting is to break down the physical and emotional barriers which isolate people from the support and friendship of members in the parish. This program at St. Jude’s was an enlightening and rewarding experience for all of us. It made us think about others and their needs during bereavement. We take with us a deeper appreciation of prayer, new listening skills and an awareness of our community resources and spiritual needs.

Parish Visiting has been on the go at St. George's for some time in the form of a very dedicated group who visit the Bennett Centre every Friday morning for a Eucharist service. I would like to see us expand on our visiting to include those at home and in the hospitial. We've already found this ministry to be very enjoyable; let me know if you want to be included.