Karla Dorweiler | Special to The Michigan Catholic

Ministry to those with illnesses a ‘blessing and honor’ for parish priests

Farmington ­— Day or night, priests can be found in homes, hospitals and churches ministering to the sick.

It’s a role that area priests say they don’t take for granted, and one that many find personally touching.

In 2003, Fr. David Cybulski’s mother lost her two-year battle with cancer. It was his fifth day as a seminarian at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

“I remember Fr. Tom (Johnson) laying his hands on her when he anointed her earlier that week,” said Fr. Cybulski. “Now as a priest, I really pray hard when I do that gesture to invoke the Holy Spirit. I couldn’t be there as a priest for my own mother because I wasn’t ordained, so I like to help other people in that way.”

Fr. Cybulski is the administrator for St. Joseph in Erie, a rural community in southern Monroe County.

According to The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick provides “strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God’s will (CCC 1520).”

Depending on the condition of the one who is sick, priests will administer the Anointing of the Sick, or give a blessing for a less serious situation.

Other times they’ll simply talk and pray with the person to provide comfort.

In a more spontaneous form of the ministry, priests can be found giving blessings to parishioners after Mass or even in the church parking lot.

Janice Matuszewski received a blessing at her parish, the National Shrine of the Little Flower. When she went there to pray with her husband on the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux, her left foot was in a cast due to a fracture.

Associate pastor Fr. Patrick Gonyeau saw them in the church and blessed Janice on the spot.

“I appreciate the help in asking for speedy healing and full recovery,” said Matuszewski. “I believe in the importance of blessings, and in ‘ask and you shall receive.’”

Christ’s Presence

Fr. Joseph Lang, also an associate pastor at the National Shrine of the Little Flower, asserts that when a priest is called to someone’s bedside, his words are not as important as what he symbolizes.

“It’s humbling. I feel honored and privileged to go in and be with these men and women and their families,” said Fr. Lang. “In my mind, it’s not me that’s being asked to go there. It’s what the collar represents, which is Christ.”

Before entering the priesthood, Fr. Lang lost his wife of 31 years as well as his son.

“The only way you make it through is your faith in God and the comfort and compassion of others,” he said. “That’s why I tell families how important it is to let people take care of you.”

In his 23 years as a priest, Fr. Robert Fisher, rector of Shrine, has sat with many parishioners in their time of need.

“Several times family members have said to me that the person receiving the sacrament really came to be at peace after the anointing,” said Fr. Fisher. “This comes as no surprise, because the sacraments are there to remind us of Christ’s presence.”

 

Caring for the Family

Priests not only minister to the one who is sick; they care for that person’s family as well.

Fr. Cybulski likes to have family members participate in the prayers during an anointing.

“It’s good for everyone to experience the power of God’s love for his children and his healing,” he said. “Christ gave us the priesthood so that people would know he is there in their time of need.”

Shrine pastor Fr. Gonyeau says that some families want to pray with him and their loved one, while others simply want him to be present.

“When you get the family around the bed and people start praying, it’s so powerful because we’re in union with God,” Fr. Gonyeau said.

Getting the Call

At larger parishes such as Shrine, the pastoral staff rotates days throughout the week so that one of them is always on call for a parishioner in need. At smaller parishes to which only one priest is assigned, the pastor visits and anoints the sick throughout the week as needed. Both rely on the help of hospital chaplains.

“My wish is that people would ask earlier for the sacrament,” said Fr. Cybulski. “There are people who are very ill or get a serious diagnosis but wait until the very end to call for a priest. I would urge people to ask for an anointing when they’re going in for a heart test or waiting for biopsy results. This sacrament increases our hope in Christ and gives us the courage to bear our cross.”

Fr. Patrick Gonyeau has only been ordained for two years, but thanks to positive experiences while in the seminary, he cherishes his ministry to the sick and suffering.

“Whenever I get a call to visit someone who is dying, the Holy Spirit works to remind me that this isn’t coincidence, this is providence,” Fr. Gonyeau said. “Psalm 116 tells us this is someone who is precious and beloved in God’s sight. Christ is the one bringing them the comfort, and I feel grateful and ready to assist. The Lord can use anyone he wants to get ready to send this person to Him, so it’s truly a blessing and an honor to be there.”