Offering unconditional regard for everyone who lives at Carondelet Village is the guiding principle for the Pastoral Care Team.

“We ground our work in the phrase from Sisters’ founding documents: ‘love of God and the dear neighbor without distinction,’” says Consociate Diane Gardner, one of the four members of the Team whose purpose is to regularly visit people who live at Carondelet Village.

The Team—comprised of Sisters Angela Schreiber and Kevin Bopp, Gardner, and Bob Satterstrom—meets twice each month to plan how to support people in the last chapter of their lives.

Listening is at the heart of the team’s work. As a resident herself, Gardner understands the journey of moving to Carondelet Village. “I am informed by my care and respect for the Sisters and all they have done, and I also understand the leap someone has to make to move to assisted living or memory care.”

Sr. Angela had not previously done pastoral care but in her former role as coordinator of community living at Carondelet Village, she knew how valuable it is to listen and get to know people more intimately as they approach this stage of life. “In visiting with people, I decided this Pastoral Care Team is where I felt I could be a good listener and an advocate for people when they need that.”

Sr. Kevin shares a similar background to Sr. Angela. As assistant administrator at Bethany Convent, she nurtured relationships with the Sisters living there. “While it wasn’t specifically ‘pastoral,’ it was the beginning of that ministry for me,” she says. “As I see it, pastoral care is all about building and nurturing relationships, about being present to our residents and their families, and about giving of myself – my time, my talents, and my love – to help others.”

Sr. Kevin says that when she was invited to begin offering pastoral care to residents of Carondelet Village, the needs were great. “We were creating and experiencing a whole new way of life, and everything we did was continuously evolving. ‘Behold, I make all things new’ was truly our reality.”

Gardner uses the word “delightful” frequently in describing the Team’s work. “We get to hear so much about people’s backgrounds, so many stories of their lives, how they learned to be teachers and medical professionals and more, and how devoted the Sisters are to each other.”

Getting to know residents’ families is also gratifying. “Sometimes, years after the resident has died, I will encounter someone from their family in a store or restaurant, and they will talk with me about the wonderful care I provided, and how much it still means to them,” says Sr. Kevin. “That is incredibly rewarding – to know I had a positive impact on the life of not only the resident but their family as well.”

Listening to a person’s story, to their path, to what they have gone through in their lifetime – both good and bad – is a spiritual practice, says Sr. Angela. “We may not speak in spiritual terms at a given time but it’s all spiritual in the end. People need to tell their stories and talk about how they are searching for the meaning of their lives, to talk about where this life is now leading them.”

Gardner says that being in the midst of a community of Sisters who have accomplished so much is both remarkable and humbling. “These women founded St. Joseph’s Hospital in the cholera epidemic. They wanted to educate young women, so they founded St. Kate’s. In my visits, I’ve learned that they didn’t know that they couldn’t do something, so they just did it!”

Accompanying individuals at the last moment of life is a special honor for the Pastoral Care Team. One of the most moving traditions is the “Procession of Honor,” when prayers are offered in the room where the person has died. The family says goodbye, and the community gathers to tell stories and pray. “We then sing the body out of the building with ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’,” says Gardner. “It is a remarkable spiritual experience.” The Pastoral Care Team is also available to minister to the dying person’s family.

While frequently surrounded by experiences of grief and loss, the Team finds peace and blessing in accompanying people at this time in their lives. Says Gardner, “Our goal is always to offer that unconditional regard, no matter the life stage or circumstances.”