Parish Nurses

Parish Nurses are Registered Nurses trained in holistic ministry to work with members of a congregation in many ways, such as:

• Visiting members in their homes, nursing homes, or the hospital
• Counseling members on health related issues
• Assisting in obtaining needed health services
• Helping members understand the relationship between body, mind, and spirit
• Promoting wellness through education and activities
• Developing support groups within the parish
• Coordinating congregational health volunteers

The mission of all nurses is holistic in nature: to promote the best possible health of body, mind, and spirit to all people regardless of age, gender, race, religion, culture, or illness. Although we are licensed Registered Nurses, as volunteer Parish Nurses, we do not provide hands-on nursing care. Our emphasis is on spiritual health, but we also work to promote the physical and mental health of the parishioners and the staff of Divine Mercy Catholic Church by education, listening, emotional and spiritual encouragement, referrals, hospital and home visits (including bringing Holy Communion and the Prayer Shawl Ministry), and social interaction using the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ as our example. Our goal is to promote and support all aspects of healthy living while recognizing and fostering the individual’s primary responsibility for his or her own health and to help him or her attain and maintain personal health goal.

Current Parish Nurses

PARISH NURSES are Registered Nurses who give their time freely for this valued ministry. If you are a nurse and would like information on becoming a parish nurse, please contact one of our parish nurses or pastoral ministers.

What we do…

Hospital Visits: We visit and bring Communion to our parishioners at District One Hospital on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We assess if we can be of help with any health concerns while parishioners are in the hospital or after discharge.

Home Visits: We do home visits for those with health related issues. We will act as a liaison between parishioners and the community for the services they provide. A parish nurse does not provide hands-on nursing and will not replace any health care services. We can also bring Communion when we visit.

Networking: We meet with area nurses of other denominations.

Meetings: We meet once a month in the dining room of the Father Tschann Ministry Building (parish offices, former Immaculate Conception Rectory). Most meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month at 3:45 p.m.

Retreats: The MN Health Ministry and the Concordia Parish Nurse Program offer retreats twice a year.

Parish Nurse Courses:  Held this fall at Atonement Lutheran Church, Fargo, ND October 14-18, 2013 and in the spring at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN March 24-28, 2014. This is a week long course with certificate upon completion.

Church Bulletin:  The Parish Nurses provide weekly health related notes and announcements of upcoming meetings, workshops, etc., in the Parish Nurse section.

Resource Person: Any health related concerns may be discussed with a parish nurse and these will be kept strictly confidential. We will assist with referrals to appropriate services offered within the community.

Prayer Shawl Ministry:  Hand knit shawls are given to those in need of comfort and support. This ministry is coordinated by Marilyn Schema, retired RN and Marie Jasinski, retired RN.

A Parish Nurse Prayer

As we care for our parishioners today, be there with us, O Lord, we pray. Make our words kind, it means so much, and in our hands place your healing touch.

Let your love shine through all that we do, so those in need may hear and feel you. Amen.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Prayer Shawl Ministry is a ministry of the Parish Nurses coordinated by Marilyn Schema, retired RN and Marie Jasinski, retired RN.

The purpose of the shawls is to give comfort to those who are sick, to those who are struggling with grief, or to those who just need an affirmation of God’s love. We like to tell the recipients to wrap up in their shawls and rest in the arms of Jesus, to just let Jesus take care of them and give them strength and peace. “Be still and know that I am God.” We have witnessed many miracles because of the shawls. They are a sign of God’s unending love. Sometimes they are also given as a token of appreciation.

We began knitting shawls in the spring of 2004. The idea came from our parish nurse network group.

There are two different options for knitting shawls:

1. You can purchase the yarn, and then you can give the shawl that you knit yourself to the person of your choice.  We could supply a card, or you can make your own.  It is important that you share the names of individuals who receive prayer shawls with our coordinators, so that we can ensure that we aren’t duplicating recipients.
2. We can supply you with yarn, and then the shawl comes back to us when it is finished.  It will then be given to someone in need by a Parish Nurse or a Pastoral Care Minister. Sometimes the priests give them, too. The knitter’s name will be on the card that goes with the shawl. Making shawls for us is most appreciated!

Supplies needed:

• Knitting needles size 11 or 13
• Lion’s Brand Homespun Yarn – 3 skeins

Instructions:

• Cast on 57 stitches.
• Each row: K-3, P-3, to end. Start and end with K-3.
• Knit until shawl is approximately 7 feet long.
• Bind off with a knit row.
• Add fringe.

Meetings: The Prayer Shawl group meets periodically throughout the year at Marie Jasinski’s home.  The Prayer Shawl Knitters also go once a month to an area nursing home to knit with the residents.  Please contact Marie for more information.

Blessing: Shawls are blessed on the first Saturday of every month after the 8:30 a.m. daily Mass.  Just place shawls on the front pew on right side of church. If donating shawl, please attach your name, so shawls won’t get mixed up.

Prayer for knitters as they knit:

Our heavenly Father, we thank you for this opportunity to share our ministry with those in need. We dedicate these shawls in Your Name. Please bless these shawls as they are being made. May they be a safe haven, a mantle of hope and security and may they bring comfort to whoever wears them. May the ones who receive these shawls be cradled in hope, kept in joy, find grace with peace, and be wrapped in love. In Jesus’s Name. Amen

Internet: Type “Prayer Shawl Ministry” into the search engine for more prayers and information.

For more information, please contact:

Marie Jasinski     334-6543   Email: dmjan@hickorytech.net

Marilyn Schema  334-5449   Email:  cmschema@gmail.com