Stephen Ministry is designed to train laity in listening and care-giving skills for distinctively Christian care to those who are experiencing a crisis in their lives. Stephen Ministers meet one-on-one to listen and help people work through difficult issues or situations in their lives. As Stephen Ministers are commissioned by our priests, we are able to extend our ability to minister to parishioners and those within the community.

Stephen Ministers provide compassionate care to those they minister to. We not only minister to those within our parish, but also those in the community who may have a need that we can provide. This extends our evangelism into the community.

How the Ministry Works:

• The function of a Stephen Minister is to provide one-on-one Christian care to people who are experiencing a difficult time in their lives.
• When a parishioner would like to have someone to meet with, they must go through an intake interview with the director.
• From there, a Stephen Minister will be assigned to meet with the parishioner.
• Volunteer Stephen Ministers are required to go through 50 hours of training and then attend supervision meetings once a month for as long as they are active in the ministry.
• Each Stephen Minister meets approximately 1-2 hours per week with their care receiver at the convenience of both the Stephen Minister and the Care Receiver.

Expectations:

• Stephen Ministers are assigned one care receiver at a time to meet with on a weekly basis.
• They are expected to utilize the skills that they learn during training to be compassionate, encouraging and providing distinctively Christian care to those who they minister to.
• Confidentiality is critical to the integrity of this ministry and must be kept at all times.