Parish nurse Marty Venvertloh (right) of St. Peter parish in Quincy offered blood pressure checks at the Diocesan Adult Enrichment Conference last November.

Although parish nurses have been serving in the Springfield diocese since the 1980s, their ministry has not had a formal identity on the diocesan level. That is about to change.

Last fall four parish nurses met with Bishop George J. Lucas to describe what parish nursing involves and the spiritual aspects in what they do. They gave him a list of proposed standards for Catholic parish nurses, and asked if there might be an office in the curia designated to assist them in their ministry.

Bishop Lucas designated parish nursing an entity in the diocesan Office for Marriage and Family (OMFL).

"Bishop Lucas told us he thought it would be a wonderful addition to the parish faith community, and put us in touch with Patrick O'Toole (OMFL director)," said Marty Venvertloh, parish nurse at St. Peter in Quincy. Other parish nurses who met with the bishop were Tracey Kreipe from Ss. Mary and Joseph, Carlinville; Nell Ann Wooldridge, from Our Saviour, Jacksonville; and Brenda Heaton from Christ the King, Springfield.

On Feb. 3, a group of parish nurses met in Springfield to discuss plans for their ministry. O'Toole attended the meeting to learn more about their ministry, and offer them his support and encouragement.

"With the changing demographics in our diocese, this ministry of parish nursing is going to continue to be more and more vital to the way that we reach out to parishioners in need," said O'Toole.  

"Our objective in seeking a formal identity on the diocesan level was to help bring Catholic parish nurses together, to promote parish nursing, to network by sharing programs and ideas, to support each other, and to provide educational opportunities pertinent to our Catholic faith," said Venvertloh.

 "We all are trained in parish nursing, but that training encompasses all faith traditions," said Kreipe, parish nurse educator at St. John's Hospital in Springfield. "The new diocesan training we will plan at our meetings would concentrate on learning more about what our Catholic faith teaches. We are also hoping to offer retreats or other spiritual activities to support each other."

"Our vision is to collaborate with parishioners, pastoral staff, our priests and members of the faith community, with the focus directly on our Catholic faith," Venvertloh said.

How often parish nurses in the diocese meet has yet to be determined. It may be quarterly; it might be by deaneries. "In some places, such as the Jacksonville area, they are already informally meeting," said Kreipe.

A parish nurse must be a graduate of a college of nursing, be an active registered nurse in the state of Illinois, and have completed a basic class in parish nursing. People who are not registered nurses have taken the parish nursing course. Some are licensed practical nurses. "They can be part of the ministerial team," said Venvertloh. The role of a registered nurse is to oversee the ministry.

Some parish nurses are paid. Some work full-time; others work part-time.

Some parish nurses receive a yearly stipend for travel and continued education, or are paid through health care agencies. Some parish nurses are strictly volunteers and are not paid.

"You are a professional, so that is worked out between you and the pastor, and your role is worked out with him," said Venvertloh.

Some parish nurses do a lot of the bereavement and grief support in their parishes. "It just depends on where your need is, and where you feel like you are called. You might just be the overseer," Venvertloh said.

"We have been promoting parish nursing for some time, now we are zeroing in on our Catholic family. Parish nursing is the perfect way to give back with your profession to the church that you love, and the parish community you love."

Parish nursing programs run the gamut of activities. Blood pressure checks, educational programs for young children on proper hand washing, programs on infection control are examples possible activities.  Parish nurses typically promote healthy lifestyles, "trying to get ahead of the cusp," said Kreipe. "It is just an extension of the parish to be able to minister through the lens of health and spirituality. Certainly parish nurses help to navigate through insurance."

What parish nurses do not do is provide direct service. They are not a replacement for visiting nurses.

They may, however, be the parish community's contact with the family during the dying process. Sometimes they are able to help uninsured individuals secure health care.

Parish nurses interested in joining the group, or people interested in learning more about parish nurses can call Kreipe at (217) 741-9651.