Pastoral Care is...
A ministry of presence
responding to God's love
founded on faith and prayer
focusing on the other person(s) through active listening together
for God's life giving and creative presence in our lives,
offering support and guidance,
sharing our faith and our prayers.

A Pastoral Care Team is...
A faith community's organized, deliberate and specific response to the pastoral, spiritual and emotional journeys of its members.

This team brings focus to a ministry which attempts to make visible God's presence in definite and tangible ways.

A pastoral care team responds to the needs of others as they have been identified within the community.

The pastoral care team relies on the support of its priest/pastor or faith leaders for support and guidance.

The Pastoral Care Committee (PCC) coordinates pastoral care activities within the parish. Members of the Committee ensure that pastoral care is available to members and friends of the parish when it is required, whether it is through a personal home visit, a visit to the hospital or practical assistance in some form or another.

Some members ensure that the Anglican patients at the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital are visited on Wednesday mornings on behalf of the Diocese. Communion is brought to the sick and shut-ins of our parish who request it. For more details on this ministry see: "St John's hospital visiting team"

The aim of this ministry is to ensure that telephone contact is made to people on our parish list whom we do not see or hear from regularly. Two to four times a year the list is updated and revised. Callers follow up to let them know that they are not forgotten, exchange information and ask if there is anything we can do for them. About a dozen parishioners do the telephoning and the calls are appreciated.

Workshops are offered to people who are interested in Pastoral Care, in the parish, within the Diocese of Ottawa, and other faith groups. Past workshops have included the well-known Dr Louise Coulombe, palliative care physician, on Care for the Dying, and Paul Dumbrille, Anglican Fellowship of Prayer , on Praying with Others. Upcoming workshops are extensively publicized in the church bulletin, the St John's web site, the Diocesan list-serv, and our regular Christian Adult Education brochure.

Twice yearly, in the fall and the spring, a 10-week basic training course, Ottawa Pastoral Care Training Program (OPCTP), is offered in the Capital Area. This course is a requirement of The Ottawa Hospital for visiting volunteers. It is highly recommended for pastoral care workers because they learn to develop skills to help them be a compassionate and sustaining presence with others in their suffering. They also learn how to support one another in ministry. Information is available at: www.ottawapastoralcare.com

The members of this group provide private and confidential prayers. The prayer requests are made by telephone to the church (613-232-4500), asking for the prayer chain line. Prayers are offered for a two week period per request.

Rev Dr Dana Fisher, Rector
Rev Naomi Kabugi, Curate

Patricia Bowen, Chair

Kitty Cocks
Sue Evans
Cathy Hannah
Frank Kajfes
Beverly Sawchuk
Marietta Stenman
John Zegers