Vi Jefferson is our new parish nurse. Anyone who doesn’t know Vi hasn’t been paying attention. Vi is a cantor, she sings at funerals, she and her husband Cliff started coffee after Mass, she has taught in the religious education program. Vi is a presence in the parish.
And Viola Jefferson is a nurse. All of these qualifications are among the reasons Fr. Mike called Vi in early July to ask her to take the job. Previous parish nurse Michelle Parsons had just told Fr. Mike she was leaving, said Vi. Fr. Mike said, ``Vi, I think God is calling you.’’
She took the job. ``I knew 'no' was not an option,’’ she said.
She said she has found this ministry to be very pleasant and inspiring. She started August 1. The pastoral center was very quiet, everybody was on vacation, she said. She started to make visits to nursing homes and to homebound people. ``They are all in various stages of needing God’s love,’’ she said. These visits are very rewarding, she said. The people are so appreciative of visits from the parish priests, the nurse and the Eucharistic ministers.
She talked about the importance of volunteers and the value of what they do. ``It’s a small commitment in time,’’ she said, ``but it’s so big for the person receiving the service.’’ She wants to refocus volunteers’ commitment. She plans to have a re-commit sheet. In addition, this woman who has volunteered plenty herself knows a simple truth – as she said, you can’t empty the cup without filling it up. She plans to do something a few times a year for volunteers.
A big part of her job will be to convince people in the parish that it’s OK to ask for help. ``Just because someone else is worse off than you are doesn’t mean you don’t need help,’’ she said. The parish nurse office tries to see people regularly. Fr. Mike, Fr. Manny and Vi sit down weekly to go over the lists of people needing help, she said. The goal is to be sure everyone is seen at least once a month.
She is bursting with plans. She hopes to reach out to young people with health programs, she said. She is working with Youth Minister Paul Gannon in terms of service projects. She hopes to get homebound people out of their houses. She would like to do a program for homebound people who can get someone to bring them called Tea and Mother Teresa.
Parish nurse is a new ministry for Vi Jefferson. However, she said, many of the same principles apply, regardless of ministry. According to her, it comes down to the questions: what does Jesus want us to do and how are we presenting Him to the world?
