Search
-
January 3, 2022By Deacon Andy Corder, Chaplain, Tucson Medical Center
Shared by St. Jeanne Jugan Ministry with Elders, Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (Jn 6:56)
Recently on a Tuesday morning at 7:45 am, a volunteer named Becki walked through the door of the chapel at Tucson Medical Center. What made this day just a little bit different than the others is that when she completed her 1¾ hour rounds seeing Catholic patients, Becki would have over 500 hours as a volunteer distributing the Sacrament of Holy Communion to patients in the hospital.
What makes this remarkable and special is all 500+ hours have been done strictly through the Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist program at Tucson Medical Center, and all roughly 1¾ hours to 2 hours at a time.
The volunteer program for distributing communion at Tucson Medical Center is not a new one. Some of the volunteers at TMC have been serving in this ministry for 30 years. One of the ministers, Ms. Judy Tully, has served for more than 3,000 hours. Three others have served over 1,000 hours, five have served over 500 hours, and two others have served over 100 hours.
Becki and Judy are both part of a group of lay faithful trained as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion from various parishes in Tucson that have bringing the Body of Christ to the patients at TMC for many years.
When the COVID-19 pandemic brought life to a standstill in 2020, all hospital volunteers, including the EHMC volunteers bringing communion to the hospitalized, were not able to serve. In May 2021, nine of the 11 EMHC volunteers were among the first of the hospital volunteers to return to Tucson Medical Center in limited service with strict safety precautions, including not entering the rooms of any COVID-19 patients during their rounds.
Before COVID-19 EMHC volunteers brought the sacrament of communion to the sick every day of the week, but under the current limitations, communion rounds have been reduced to four days a week. The nine volunteers are divided into teams, with each team serving one day to distribute the Sacrament of Holy Communion to the Sick, one of the Corporal Works of Mercy our Lord calls us to. Some of the volunteers serve more than one day a week in this ministry. Since their return to TMC in May of 2021, the EMHC teams have seen 4,088 patients.
While St Cyril of Alexandria Parish supplies the consecrated host for the ministers to distribute in their rounds, the nine EMHC active volunteers come from St Francis de Sales, St Pius X, Corpus Christi, St Cyril of Alexandria, St Odilla, Our Lady of Fatima, and St Thomas the Apostle parishes. Some are retired, some are spouses of doctors, some work as staff members at their parish, and some volunteer their time on days off from working in food services at Tucson Medical Center. Ranging in age ranges from 35 to 83, they come from all walks of life. They all donate their time with one thought in mind: to be the face of the Church for those who may not have been active in several years, and to bring the Body of Christ to the Sick when they need to be reminded of God’s presence in their life in the midst of their illness.
To serve as a volunteer EMHC at Tucson Medical Center, a person must first be trained and certified as a minister of Holy Communion in their parish, pass a background check by both the Diocese of Tucson and Tucson Medical Center and have additional hospital specific training. If you would be interested in joining this dedicated group of lay faithful serving the sick, please contact Deacon Andy Corder in the Spiritual Care Department at Tucson Medical Center.
