The Beginnings of the Stephen Ministry
at Holy Spirit Church
During Lent of 2016, Holy Spirit Parish conducted daily meditations as a way to prepare for Easter. The sessions were very well attended in spite of the fact that they started at 6:15 a.m.! A group of about 40-60 parishioners gathered Monday through Friday to read, discuss, and pray together for twenty minutes before heading off to daily Mass at 7:00 a.m. Since 2016 was the Year of Mercy, the book we used was Beautiful Mercy,1 a collection of essays on the spiritual and corporal works of mercy by various authors. As the cover of the book says, it was “the Perfect Companion for the Year of Mercy.” Father Mat Vallenkal (the pastor) and Deacon Rigo Cabezas facilitated the sessions.
When we came to Chapter 7, “Bury the Dead,” Fr. Mat suggested that we start a Stephen Ministry in our parish and he passed around a sign-up sheet to see if there was any interest. With that, the seed of the Stephen Ministry was planted at Holy Spirit Church.
Over the next days and weeks as we continued to read Beautiful Mercy, two additional works of mercy — Chapter 8 (Comfort the Sorrowing) and Chapter 14 (Pray for the Living and the Dead) — confirmed for me that I wanted to be part of this ministry.
The ministry was finally set in motion in October, 2016, under the guidance of Fr. Brandon Macadaeg. During the few years that the ministry has been active, it has been a blessing for me in so many ways and I am grateful to be a part of it. Thank you, Fr. Mat, for starting the Stephen Ministry at Holy Spirit Church and thank you, Fr. Brandon, for being our guide and mentor.
—Catherine Weeks,
Stephen Ministry Coordinator
Why the name Stephen?
The Stephen Ministry is named for St. Stephen, the first deacon. In the early days of the Church, the number of new Christians grew quickly and it soon became necessary to appoint several “reputable men” to take care of the day-to-day tasks so that the apostles could devote themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” 2
Our Mission
The Stephen Ministry of Holy Spirit Church provides prayerful and loving assistance to parishioners who mourn the loss of a loved one.
We assist families from the moment the parish is notified of the loss through the funeral rites. With the priest, we offer support and guidance during the planning process. We assist at the funeral liturgy, providing hospitality, liturgical assistance, and ensure that the liturgy is carried out with reverence and solemnity.
Who can join the Stephen Ministry?
We welcome anyone who has a heart of compassion and is willing to joyfully exhibit hope in the Risen Lord. No experience is necessary! We will provide all the training necessary to assist at funerals and memorials. If you’re looking for a way to put your faith into action, this is a beautiful ministry with ample opportunity to do so.