Supplements

Commentary

By Liz Quirin

Ministering Until the End of the Day

Meredith Memorial Home will soon close its doors to some of the seniors in our midst. Opened in 1962, it has been a real home for many people over the years, my mother among its residents until she could no longer care for herself. She loved it there; she felt safe; she could attend Mass or go to the chapel to pray when she wanted. A retired school teacher, she encouraged establishing a small library there.

While this was the dream of one woman — Florence Meredith — it became an affordable home for our older folks. As family members, we visited often, always finding warm and welcoming staff members anxious to help us. We became part of the Meredith family for the time mother lived there.

The diocese fulfills its promise of spreading the Gospel through its ministries, and Meredith has been one of the ways the church could reach out to others. However noble ministry truly is, it is seldom without cost. In the case of Meredith, operating below its capacity, it needed to borrow money from the diocese to meet some of its expenses. Now, the business of ministry has hit a wall, the bottom line so to speak. No matter how much the diocese wants to see this ministry continue, the reality of the situation has caused the recent announcement of closing.

Some people have said the diocese should not be in this kind of business at all. With numerous other facilities in the area, just waiting for “baby boomers” to start selling their homes to move into retirement living, the diocese doesn’t need to minister to seniors in this way.

Others have posited the opposite argument, saying we minister best to others when we provide this kind of service in a Catholic setting so that seniors can find comfort and dignity in a Catholic retirement facility. This ministry should remain, especially if we provide a service to low-income seniors who might not have proper housing without it.

Right now, today, and for the immediate future, the diocese is caught between the proverbial “horns of a dilemma.” It can’t keep Meredith open, and it must now try to help its present residents find other housing. Moving elders is difficult at best. They have routines that give balance to their worlds, and it is not good to change those routines.

Ministry at its best promotes healing, love, comfort and assistance. At this time, the diocese, through its staff at the home, continues to offer that ministry to Meredith’s residents while at the same time, it must also recognize that things don’t always work out the way they are planned. Knowing that, the diocese is committed to caring for Meredith’s residents, even as they assist them in finding a different home. In that way, the ministry continues.