A Valuable C
Eucharistic Ministers Bring Jesus to T
he Catholic Church is universal, and we welcome everyone to the fullness of truth found in our faith. Through the Eucharistic Ministers that bring Communion to patients at the Hawaii State Hospital, we ensure that our brothers and sisters living with mental health issues are also able to participate in the life of the Church. By bringing the Eucharist to these patients and praying with them, the ministry is able to share the spirit of Christ, as well as the Body of Christ. “Religion is part of our makeup, and who we are as human beings — to be able to share that with them is just beautiful,” says ministry member Patty Billington. “Our ministry is interesting and constantly changing. There are some people who are committed to the State Hospital for life, and others who are passing through. You can really get to know some people, and others are more short-term — but either way, it’s nice to be able to spend time with them. It’s about human contact and friendship.”
“The patients are always happy to see anyone, but they are especially happy when someone is there to pray with them,” says ministry member Alyson Kau. “It’s a special kind of calling.” Alyson started working with the ministry in 2012, and worked with several other parishioners until Patty started working with the ministry in 2017. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair would visit the hospital together to provide the Eucharist and pray for Catholic patients. They plan to resume again, once it is safe to do so. “The State Hospital falls within the jurisdiction of our parish, which is why we have ministers go there,” Alyson says. “I work for mental health services at Queen’s, so I coincidentally happen to know some patients there, and I’m used to working with the population.” “I wanted to bring the Eucharist to the homebound, and Fr. Ed [Popish] suggested that I ask Alyson if she could use some help,” Patty says, “So I did, and
she trained me, and we’ve been working together ever since. This is the ministry I’m saddest about not being able to do right now. It’s just a wonderful ministry and it has been such a joy to work with Alyson.” In normal times, Alyson and Patty visit the State Hospital weekly, rotating among the different units each week. Each unit receives a visit once a month, which involves a Communion service, as well as time spent visiting with the patients. “We do small-group services, and have maybe five to 12 people at a time from each unit,” Alyson says. “The services usually take about 10 minutes,” Patty says. “They come and make a circle, and then we do a little service. We start with the Sign of the Cross, do the Act of Contrition, and follow that with a reading and the Our Father. After that, we start Communion. They are so fervent about it — you can see how meaningful it is to them. We have included singing in the past, as
“When you go see people who are so constrained, whose liv you can see how much it means to them. I feel very gratefu every time we finish, I feel great. It’s my favorite ministry, a people, if you tried it, you’d love it.” — Pat 4
