Pastoral Care

Job Objective(s):

Provide daily pastoral services, spiritual support, and prayer experiences to the residents of a 300+ apartment senior retirement and assisted living community. Works in cooperation with two pastoral care teammates.

Qualifications

• Be an ordained Roman Catholic Permanent Deacon with faculties in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
• Experience and proficiency in preparation and delivery of Services of Word and Communion which include homilies adapted to the needs of seniors.
• Strong desire to work with the elderly individually and in groups in need of spiritual services and ministry.
• In-depth understanding of the aging process as well as ability to minister to people with cognitive decline.
• Ability to work with people of all faiths and no faith.
• Liaison to the Archdiocese and St. Paul Seminary.
• Supervisor for Chaplain Interns.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint)
• Ability to work as a team member.
• Able to read, write, spell, do basic math, speak and understand English.

Job Responsibilities and Duties

* Provide pastoral care as needed to residents of The Glenn Hopkins: To visit the sick in nursing homes and hospitals as needed.

* Provide one-to-one counseling, direction and support to residents as requested.

* Bless sacramentals (rosaries, crucifixes, prayer shawls, and other items) as needed.

* Work with the Pastor of St. Gabriel's as his delegate to the Glenn-Hopkins.

* Lead weekly Christian (not exclusively Catholic) bible studies focusing on the scriptures for the upcoming Sunday.

* Conduct Word and Communion services when a priest is unavailable.

* Assist with daily Mass in the Terraces (3:30pm) and the Towers (4:15pm), coordinating with teammates and the presider.

* Prepare for and assist with Memorial Masses for deceased residents, as needed, generally held at the same times as the regular daily Mass.

* Coordinate and provide, with support from volunteers, the Eucharist to shut-in residents in their apartments throughout the week. (Average 10-12 calls per week.)

* Develop new or updated pastoral offerings as needed or suggested.

* Provide representation, in coordination with teammates, for The Glenn Hopkins at funerals and/or memorial services for deceased residents.

* Be a member of The Glenn Hopkins pastoral care staff, attending weekly team meetings.

Physical Requirements (based on essential responsibilities)

Must be able to frequently perform tasks such as, but not limited to, those listed below:

• Bend, squat to floor or sit to interact with wheelchair bound residents, etc.
• Sees people and objects within 35 feet to monitor work areas.

Must be able to continuously perform tasks such as, but not limited to, those listed below:

• Move, push, pull and/or lift objects weighing 10 to 25 pounds.
• Use hands and arms for simple grasping, pushing and pulling objects, wheelchairs, chairs, etc.
• Perform tasks requiring actions of muscles or groups of muscles to walk, stoop, bend, lift, and carry objects
• Walk and/or stand for prolonged periods of time
• Speak clearly and make self understood in face-to-face interactions
• See objects closely to read directions, instructions, etc.
• Hear normal sounds and voices with some background noise to receive verbal instructions, answer telephones, communicate with others, etc.
• Tolerate scents/odors.

Environment

Works indoors in a climate-controlled environment majority of time. Some off site travel to nursing homes, hospitals, etc may be required to meet resident needs.

Working Hours

Monday - Friday; specific schedule to be developed with the Assistant Executive Director and teammates. Hours will coincide with regularly scheduled Mass times (3:30pm-5:00pm) on weekdays. The work schedule and hours may vary from week to week.