HUNTERSVILLE — While the Jubilee Year of Mercy is officially over, the need to perform corporal and spiritual works of mercy never ends. As Pope Francis has said, “Christ’s followers are called to continue His saving mission” – a mission of mercy. The Friendly Visitors Ministry at St. Mark Church in Huntersville combines both corporal and spiritual works.
While Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion visit various nursing homes and hospitals to bring the Blessed Sacrament to homebound Catholics, the Friendly Visitors are just that: friendly visitors. Or to put it another way, visiting friends. They provide a friendly face to those who may not otherwise have many visitors. The program reminds them they have a church family and are members of God’s family.
The Friendly Visitors program began at St. Mark when Monsignor Joseph A. Kerin, then pastor, challenged his staff to form a program to go out into the community and befriend people in need.
It is now chaired by Leanne Vaccaro, the Young at Heart Ministry coordinator. The Young at Heart Ministry encompasses 13 different ministries, and the Friendly Visitors Ministry is one of them. It is comprised of 28 people who visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Huntersville and Charlotte including Huntersville Oaks, Old Knox Commons, Ranson Ridge, Carillon Assisted Living, Special Touch Living, Senior Care Carolinas, as well as The Laurels and The Haven in Highland Creek.
“The Friendly Visitors Ministry is a beautiful and much-needed ministry because it provides outreach to those who are not able to get to church and practice their faith,” Vaccaro says. “It also cultivates friendships for both the homebound and Friendly Visitor.”
Susan Liuzzo has served with the Friendly Visitors program for a year and a half.
As her mother’s caregiver, she found herself constantly at the nursing home with her. “I saw things from the inside out,” she says. “There are some that are forgotten by family. So being a Friendly Visitor starts a conversation with them.”
“I started out thinking I was doing something nice for them, and yet I am the one who receives an unexpected treasure each time I visit with them as they have so many stories to tell and history to share,” she said.
One of the parishioners who enjoys regular visits is Thomasina Carr, who is a resident at Huntersville Oaks.
“The Friendly Visitors program helps me stay connected to St. Mark’s,” Carr says. “It allows me to visit with lots of people. It keeps me busy as it includes different services.”
Visits are flexible and based on both the Friendly Visitor’s schedule and the schedule of the person they visit. Often the volunteers provide rides to church or take a resident to lunch. Individuals, couples and families can expand their faith practices and provide a large variety of services to those who need it most, and training for new volun-teers is available.
— Diana Patulak Ross, Correspondent