Etelvina Menina is 60 years old and is the coordinator of the Pastoral Care for the Elderly of the Parish of Santa Rita de Manaus, in Brazil. After dedicating herself since 1996 to the pastoral care of Welcome, Marriage Encounter or catechesis, now she visits the elderly in their homes to bring them prayer and listening ministry.
For the last five years we have had great difficulty getting local agents, not only for our Pastoral Care for the Elderly, but practically for all pastoral services, movements and parish tasks.
I think that in our society we are heading towards a way of being and acting less empathetic, less available for service, and that makes me quite sad.
However, after participating in several of these services, right now I am a member of the Neocatechumenal Way and I coordinate the Pastoral for the Elderly, whose activity is in contact and collaboration with the Pastoral for the Sick.
At this moment we are three pastoral agents and we are accompanying 27 older adults. Our pastoral care seeks with them to facilitate their correct development as elderly people.
We visit each elder at least once a month. Ideally, each agent in this ministry should maintain a fluid relationship with four elders. In this way it is achieved that each one of them has a guaranteed visit per month.
During the visits we verify how they live, not only materially, but also in relation to the family, whether they are cared for or not, with medical assistance or not… With these data we know the real life scenario of our elderly: if there are chronic ailments, the financial situation, proper nutrition, hygiene, the immediate social context, access or not to public services aimed at them…
The second important part of the visit is listening. That is a moment in which we offer affection, support, in a comprehensive way: emotional support and spiritual support. To do it better and better, every two years the agents of the Pastoral Care of the Elderly do a formative update.
My dream, what I ask God every day, is to get at least ten people as new agents, people who are committed and have access to training. Hopefully many young people will be encouraged to serve in their parishes, to work and to be good Samaritans. How important it is to “do”, to look for those who need us, to help.
Age does not even matter much: if there is availability of time, strength to visit and empathy with the brothers, it is more than enough. Whoever has that: we are waiting for you!
