Because we are human, we get sick. Sometimes, it’s just sniffles or the flu. Many times it’s an illness that causes us or one of our loved ones to find that getting to Church is difficult. We count every member as an important part of our parish community. If you or a  loved one are unable to come to Mass due to illness or failing health, please let us know if we can help support you by bringing Holy Communion.  We also visit parishioners who are temporarily unable to come to Mass after a surgery. 
 
Our homebound parishioners are a vital membership in our parish, offering prayerful support to our mission as a parish, as well as offering their physical suffering up to the Lord who transforms that into spiritual strength.  Our care and outreach to this wise and graced demographic of our parish is very important, and those who serve as Eucharistic Ministers to the Homebound find it a privilege to serve them and grow spiritually because of this ministry.  It is central to our parish mission and who we are as Catholic Christians. 

Eucharistic Ministers must be formally trained before they can volunteer. 

The Church wishes to accompany those who are grieving and to show the Light of Jesus Christ Risen to those whose hearts are broken.  The parish embraces those who are mourning and gives direction for ceremonies to thank God for the deceased’s life and to hold family and friends close in prayer. 

Planning a Funeral

Please contact our Funeral Coordinator, Margaret Franz at (920) 788-7640 to make arrangements or to join our Funeral Ministry team. We have an average of 50 funerals a year. We welcome any parishioners to join us in any of the following areas:

• Hospitality people to greet and tidy up the pews
• Servers – adult, middle, or high school
• Proclaimers (Readers)
• Eucharistic Ministers
• Music Ministers
• Preparing or serving food at lunches

Experiencing the loss of a loved one is often a painful transition. In the words of Matthew Kelly, “it is critically important that we don't pretend; that we acknowledge our grief, that we acknowledge our pain, that we lay it on the altar of God and ask him to do whatever it is he wants to do with it…it is the difficulties, the challenges of life, that help us to build character, to make us clear about who we are and what we're here for.”
 
The grief support team at Holy Spirit Parish is dedicated to helping you on this journey in the hopes of providing a sanctuary allowing you to mourn well.  We offer several support options: 

• For the first year, encouraging and compassionate mailings and resources on the grief process are forwarded to you once a month.
• We have a team of Care Ministers—individuals specially trained to provide you with a pastoral presence one on one, listen attentively, bear witness, and share prayer as needed.
• We have a Manna Ministry team that delivers meals periodically to individuals particularly challenged by the impact of a life changing event such as this.  
• Each year on All Souls Day in November, a memorial service is hosted to commemorate those who have died the previous year (typically October through October). The names of the departed are printed on a large fabric banner that hangs in both churches.

A team of the Care Ministry team visits hospitalized parishioners of Holy Spirit Parish at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Theda Care (formerly AMC) in Appleton. We provide prayers, a pastoral presence, and sometimes Holy Communion. Consider sharing your time in this wonderful ministry. There are several requirements that a volunteer must meet, those are:

• Be a registered member of Holy Spirit Parish
• Be trained as a Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist
• Work under the training and supervision of Holy Spirit Parish
• Complete a background check and all required training for volunteers on sexual misconduct and safe environment as required by the Diocese of Green Bay

If You Are Admitted to a Hospital or Other Facility...

When a person is admitted to a hospital or other facility such as for temporary rehab at a nursing home, you are asked to verify your parish and if the facility has permission to release information regarding your admission. It is critical that permission is given to the facility. Without your permission, Holy Spirit will not be notified and our visiting Care Ministers cannot access this information and visit you.

In emergency situations, this step might be omitted, so please inform the parish if you would like visits. If there is a transfer to another health facility, please let us know. Due to confidentiality laws, hospitals will not give us this information.

Our Manna team brings meals to parishioners in their time of need. This could be a family recovering post-surgery when the extra help could make a lot of difference, after a new baby in the family, after a death of a loved one, and a number of other times.

This ministry extends the loving care of Christ to our parishioners.  Meal-makers are needed. You will be notified of an opportunity for meals and given instructions on delivery address, time to deliver, food allergies, etc., and then can sign up for a meal.  If you would like to be put on the notification list, please contact Leah Ackley at the Parish Office at (920) 788-7640.

Because we are always in need of prayer, we have a prayer shawl ministry as tangible evidence to those for whom we are praying. Prayer shawls are available for persons in health facilities, homebound, terminally ill and bereaved.   Please contact Leah Ackley, Coordinator for Pastoral Care and Family Life Ministries, if you know of a person in need of the care of a prayer shawl. 

Knitters are also needed as this ministry expands further and our parish continues to care for one another and share the loving embrace of Christ.  A pattern/directions and the prayer are provided. The prayer shawl maker prays during the creation of the shawl while either knitting or crocheting in the comfort of their own home. The prayer shawl will enfold, comfort, shelter and beautify.  

White baptismal shawls are knitted or crocheted for use during and after baptisms