Fr. Kevin

This is the second installment in our series. The seven Corporal Works of
Mercy help others live a life of dignity and provide them with the necessities
of life. Last week we looked at Feed the Hungry and Give Drink to the Thirsty.
Today, we’ll dig into Visit the Sick.
Statistics reveal that loneliness is a significant problem in our society. Our
computers and phones connect us to others in ways unimaginable just a few
years ago. Ironically, those same devices contribute to isolation and loneliness. God made us to be in
relationship with others and while technology can help, it can’t replace in-person contact.
With that in mind, perhaps you can see that “visit the sick” involves more than being with those who are
physically ill. Here’s a short list of things to consider.
· Visit friends and neighbors who are sick.
· Visit friends and neighbors who are lonely.
· Organize a small gathering for people who don’t socialize often.
· Invite others to parish events.
· Be on the lookout for those sitting by themselves at parish events then invite them to join you.
· Volunteer at a hospital or assisted living facility, meeting and talking with those you meet.
· Provide companionship or housekeeping for the elderly who can’t easily leave their home.
· Become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and take our Lord to the sick and those
who can’t attend Mass.
· If you can’t visit in person, call or send a handwritten greeting card to someone who is sick or
without companionship.
Seek Conference
This will take time and, for those who are not naturally outgoing, some effort, but the reward will be worth it,
both for the person you help and for you!

Born in 1852 to nobility, Carolina made her First Communion at age eight and received a good education. In her late teens she became the target for offers of marriage but began to feel a call to religious life. At age 21, she began to lead the Daughters of Mary in the parish of San Antonio Abate in Palermo. As the call to religious life became stronger, she became torn between the contemplative cloister and working with the sick, poor, disabled and abandoned. Hoping to combine the two, she became a Franciscan tertiary, taking the name Sister Maria di Gesù . Her family strongly objected to her choice, especially when she and some like minded tertiaries began going door to door in poor neighborhoods, carrying a backpack of supplies, helping the sick and feeding the poor. Shortly before her death in 1923, Caroline founded the Capuchin Sisters of the Immaculate of Lourdes to continue her work.