Pastoral Care & Parish Involvement

Pastoral Care

While each sister exercises pastoral care by the quality of her presence in any community to which she belongs, some sisters are involved in specific ministries of Pastoral Care.

One sister exercises Pastoral Leadership at St Joseph’s community where a number of sisters have retired from active ministry.  Here the sisters physical needs are not only cared for, but the sisters are encouraged as a community to support our Congregational ministries by their Prayer Support.  Some sisters in this community are involved in outreach activities, as far as their physical capacity will allow.  Sisters are in contact with children from Sacred Heart College.  They share their stories and their gifts with people from the local parish and attend prayer groups and meetings according to their interests and passions.

One sister ministers to those around her in her community of aged people in a variety of ways, by her listening, her encouragement, by her trips with them for medical and other professional needs, by her constant interest in their families, to name a few.

One sister has a ministry with Calvary Health Care where she works full time as a member of the Pastoral Care team.  This ministry involves being present to, and listening to the sick and members of their families during their times of distress, anxiety and fear, in their suffering and pain and often in their grief.  In this ministry, a sister brings the healing and compassionate love of Jesus to those to whom she ministers.  She brings hope and comfort to patients when she makes available the Eucharist to them. 

Parish Involvement

Many of our Sisters are involved in ministry within parishes around Tasmania, in integral albeit mostly informal ways. One Sister lives on Bruny Island and is the local presence of the Catholic Church there.  Sisters at Cygnet, Moonah and Westbury work with parish priests, assisting them in many ways such as visiting, taking communion to the sick and sacramental preparation.  One Sister is a Pastoral Associate in the Mersey Leven Parish, co-ordinating the Sacramental Program.