Handbook for Ministers of Care

Book excerpt: Ministers of care are commissioned by the parish to bring the compassion and communion of the Church to the sick and the homebound and to bear witness to the suffering of its members, the suffering of Christ. The third edition of this award-winning resource provides lay ministers of care with a formational and training tool as they prepare to serve those who are sick and homebound. In these pages, lay ministers will learn a theology of sickness and suffering, how to preside over the rituals of the Church, how best to make pastoral visits, and how to take care of their own spiritual needs while caring for others.