ST. VINCENT de PAUL STEPHEN MINISTRY
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t may not be a formal term, but our parish’s Stephen Ministry members could be called the “after” people. “We’re the people you call after the phone call you’d never want to get; after the funeral when everyone has left; after a relationship falls apart; after the doctor says, ‘I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do,’ and any of those situations that are a crisis to some,” says Marilyn Dietrich, referral coordinator for the St. Vincent de Paul Parish Stephen Ministry. The Stephen Ministry consists of trained lay people who provide one-onone Christian care to individuals with
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difficulties. The care is free and is available with just a phone call to Marilyn. “A lot of times, people are hesitant to call and say, ‘I need a Stephen Minister,’” Marilyn says. “It takes a lot of courage to do that.” When someone calls Marilyn after seeing her phone number in the weekly bulletin, she interviews them and answers any questions they have about the ministry. She explains what the ministry is, and isn’t. She explains the confidentiality that is paramount in the ministry and seeks answers about why the person needs the help. In normal times, the Stephen Minister will meet in person with a care seeker. However, under pandemic
restrictions, the meetings currently have been over the telephone. There currently are 14 active Stephen Ministers in our parish. The care offered to those seeking help is important for several reasons. “They’re hurting and they’re children of God,” Marilyn says. “They need that cup of water. We stand in that spot as Jesus’s hand and feet, offering the Works of Mercy, to be there to help them, walk with them. They need someone when the family says, ‘It’s time you snapped out of it!’ They’re someone not emotionally involved, who’s empathetic, not sympathetic.” Prospective Stephen Ministers undergo 50 hours of training to acquire active listening skills and confidentiality. “They realize that God is the cure-giver and the Stephen Minister is the care-giver,” Marilyn says. “We learn how to pray with people, set boundaries. A Stephen Minister is not your best friend. We’re there to listen and walk with you through this rough spot in life. We elicit what you are feeling, pray with you and be there. One of the most important things is to show up.” In Marilyn’s experience, she has found that once the care receivers can name their feelings and their hurt, or emotion, they can begin the healing process. And it is the process that the Stephen Ministers work to develop, opening the care receiver to God’s working on the result.
