This reflection was originally published on May 16th, 2020.

10 years ago, Saint Benedict Parish celebrated its first Mass in its new building, attended by members of the three amalgamated parishes as well as a mix of newcomers. With the awkwardness of determining where your ‘spot’ was in the new building, it’s fair to say we were mostly strangers to each other! Fast forward 10 years later and we know immediately that Saint Benedict Parish has no trace of strangers, but rather, everyone is loved as family!

The love is such that, when the reality hit that COVID-19 would cause the physical doors of the parish to close, many action plans to stay connected were put in place. The Neighbour Care ministry was born as a response to ensure this parish family stayed virtually connected during this extended pandemic.

Neighbour Care is made up of a few dozen volunteers that call the 3,400 plus individuals registered at Saint Benedict Parish one-by-one. The first stage is to simply connect and pray with someone. How are they doing? Do they need any support with errands? Are they able to connect with technology? Would they like to be connected with friends in a Life Group? From that initial inquiry, the fun of connecting begins. It’s like a new version of the phone tree, but where volunteers have their boots on the ground, caring for others. Given the results of the initial Neighbour Care ministry, there is now a Teen Neighbour Care ministry. Young adults from our parish are encouraged to connect with other young adults.

One volunteer recently shared a beautiful story, from a time when they connected with a parishioner through Neighbour Care. The parishioner shared that they lived alone and were struggling with the insecurity of being able to get groceries, while at the same time hesitant to inconvenience anyone for support. The volunteer assured the parishioner that Neighbour Care is driven by a desire to serve and support. Within 15 minutes of reaching out, another ministry, Food for Families, responded with a financial gift that allowed this volunteer to get groceries for the parishioner in need. The Neighbour Care volunteer shared this: “In this time of darkness, God is surely illuminating hearts by creatively teaching us how to intimately and intentionally connect with one other, no matter the obstacle that is placed before us.”

This is just one example of why Neighbour Care came to fruition. If you would like to get connected with Neighbour Care, email Noreen Smith: [email protected].