Members of the health ministry team each take a day every week to visit the hospitals to pray with parishioner patients and to bring them comfort. Please ask the hospital staff to notify the parish when registering. Otherwise, you or a family member can call the parish office at (563) 556-7511. If you are hospitalized and haven't received a parish visitor, please call the parish office and ask to be added to the list.
Members of the health ministry team visit parishioners at care centers or who are homebound at least once a month, praying with them and being attentive to any needs they may have to which the parish can respond. Please contact the Parish Office when someone moves to a care center or becomes homebound so that we can include them in this ministry.
Volunteers bring Holy Communion to persons who are homebound or are otherwise temporarily unable to come to Mass. To request a Communion visitor, please call the Parish Office at (563) 556-7511.
Everyone is at times on a difficult journey and needs a caring companion who will listen, empathize, and be a reminder of a caring faith community. BeFrienders provide care through a listening presence to anyone experiencing grief, loss, transition, or other concerns, due to such situations as:
SOME QUESTIONS you may have about the BeFriender Ministry:
Q. If my family member has a BeFriender, does that mean that I am not meeting his/her needs?
A. Not at all! A BeFriender cannot take the place of family or friends in someone’s life. For many, though, a BeFriender is a supportive visitor beyond the family.
Q. How often will a BeFriender visit?
A. The frequency is determined by the person visited and the BeFriender. A visit typically takes place every week or two and lasts about an hour.
Q. What if I cannot think of anything to say to the BeFriender?
A. The BeFriender does not come to you to gain information. Rather, she or he will listen and respond, trying to support you at this time in your life, without giving advice or making judgments. And BeFrienders are comfortable with silence.
BeFriender Ministry is not a ministry of “doing,” but of “being:” being present and listening quietly.
If you would like a BeFriender to visit with you, or if you have any questions about BeFriender ministry, please contact Lisa Esch at 563-580-8423.
Father Gibbs will be happy to anoint persons not only as they approach death but also before major surgeries. Please call the parish office to arrange this at (563) 556-7511. In addition, communal anointing services are held in the fall and the spring. These are announced in the bulletin.
There is a book in the Gathering Space in which you can write intentions for which you wish parishioners to pray. These are included in our Sunday intercessions and at daily Mass. The parish also has a prayer chain on which persons can ask for prayers. Requests are sent in a speedy manner both by email and telephone.
Please contact Karen Meyer (563-588-3547), Marge Kane (563-583-2149), or email Resprayerchain@gmail.com with your prayer intentions.
Father Gibbs and our parish staff are available to visit when you need someone to talk to. You can call the parish office at (563) 556-7511 or stop by the office during office hours to chat.
Make the time to join parishioner Pam Connolly for a light and calm stretching class integrated with Christian prayer and prayer requests. Each class centers on different Catholic values like service, faith, hope, love, decision making, and perseverance. This class will help you feel more relaxed, stronger, and even energized, which will carry over into other aspects of your life!
The exercises combine floor work, standing exercises, and balancing poses. Mats or towels are highly recommended.
Monday nights starting October 3rd from 5:45-6:30 PM in the Lower Level Social Space at church.
Just $5.00 a class!! All ages, levels, and abilities welcome!
For questions, contact Pam at 543-7154.
Meetings are held Mondays at 1:30 P.M. in the Upper Room. We meet every Monday in the Upper Room. Enter through the door at the east side of the Church next to the statue of the Blessed Mother or from the social space. If you are caring for a loved one, please join us! For more information, contact Mary Schmidt at (563) 556-7511 or dbq058n@dbqarch.org.
All are welcome!
The purpose of this group is to provide support and kinship for care providers living with the responsibilities of caring for a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Care for the Care Giver Support Group is unique in that participants are encouraged to bring their loved one to the support group meeting. A separate meeting will be held in a nearby room at the same time as the support group for your loved ones. This gathering will be facilitated by trained individuals who keep them engaged and safe.
The Care for the Care Giver Support Group meeting will be facilitated by parish staff. The format of the meeting encourages sharing information, support, guidance and information for others dealing with similar situations.
Care for the Care Giver is a support group formed in 2016 by Deacon Mike Blouin who cared for his wife, Suzanne, while she struggled with Alzheimer’s disease for the last 8 years of her life.
“I learned that the process of giving care for people with dementia is different than caregiving in other respects,” explained Deacon Blouin. “They are no longer with you.” The deacon explained that many people caring for those with dementia may feel alone or reluctant to ask for help, and having a support group available to come to and talk about their situation can be life-changing. “(My support group) saved my life more than once,” said the deacon. “They become like family to you.”
If your heart is touched by those who have needs in our city, then St. Vincent de Paul provides the avenue for you to do something about it! These women and men meet once a month to evaluate needs and responses, to plan for upcoming projects, and frequently to hear guest speakers, especially from various community assistance organizations who keep the Society grounded in its mission.
St. Vincent de Paul Society provides vouchers for persons needing temporary overnight stays, gas, a meal, assistance with utilities; they also keep a stocked food pantry for families in need. They provide a large number of food baskets at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, and they also sponsor a giving tree for Christmas gifts for families. Although the names of persons served remain absolutely confidential, the Society itself is truly a “Visible Presence” in our parish. They are funded solely by donations and two fundraisers per year. All services are provided on a volunteer basis, so they welcome assistance at any level.
If you would like to join St. Vincent de Paul Society or if you want more information, call the parish office at 563-556-7511.
Bereavement ministry is an outreach to all those who have suffered any kind of loss–the death of a loved one, a divorce, the loss of a job, dissension within a family. It consists of six gatherings. The gatherings are designed to help people experience normal grief in a healthy way, not being overwhelmed by it, but going through it in a way that brings both a spiritual and a healthy emotional dimension to the process.
The Sunday bulletin will carry notices of the dates for bereavement gatherings, or you can call the Deacon Mike Ellis at the Parish Office at 563-556-7511 or email him at dbq058d@dbqarch.org.
Volunteers visit parishioners who are homebound. Please call the Parish Office if you know of a homebound parishioner who would appreciate a visit. The Sunday bulletin can be mailed to a homebound parishioner upon request — just call the Parish Office at 563-556-7511. Volunteers are able to bring Holy Communion to a homebound person. Just call the parish office to arrange these visits.
When a person enters hospice care, she or he has the opportunity to receive Holy Communion every day from a team of volunteers. Please call the parish office to arrange these visits.
Remember the comfort of sitting in a chair and wrapping in a warm covering when spirits are low? The Prayer Shawl Ministry makes that possible for parishioners in need of an uplift. Shawls are knitted or crocheted by parishioners and then given with a prayer card to parishioners who:
To suggest someone who could use this comfort or to join this ministry, please contact the Parish Office at 563-556-7511.