Pastoral Care of the Sick and Social Pastoral Care
St John of God...
"A true disciple of Christ your Son,
he generously fed the hungry, refreshed the thirsty, clothed the naked, visited the sick, welcomed wayfarers, comforted prisoners and cared for, and
supported, those who suffered.”
(Preface of the liturgy of St John of God)
We intend...
... Through our service, to proclaim the hope of the Gospel.
We act.....
... With the greatest respect for the convictions and beliefs of the sick, we help them to discover, through their suffering, the meaning of life for them.
The Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry have been the distinctive features identifying the Hospitaller Order from the very beginning. John of God showed a particular sensitivity to the provision of spiritual care to the people he welcomed into his hospital and the Order has continued in the same direction ever since. In recent decades the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry has moved on from being focused more on “caring for souls” to a new model, in which pastoral care is carefully prepared and organised to be able to provide holistic personal care.
Our Constitutions remind us that the vocation we have received demands a special dedication to Pastoral Care which is expressed through the witness of our lives, the proclamation of the Word and the celebration of the sacraments.
We have always been known for the way we provide an all-inclusive service open to all, also in the field of Pastoral Care, showing the greatest possible respect for the convictions and beliefs of everyone, and providing spiritual care for our guests’ loved ones and the Co-workers in our Centres. It is by virtue of this same outreach that we are very careful to provide spiritual care for those who profess other faiths and to play an active part In the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry of the local Churches in which we perform our mission.
As Brothers of St John of God we know that when we perform a good service to sick and needy people we are evangelising through Hospitality, and are witness of service as the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.
For Christians, the sacraments are an intense experience of communion with the Lord Jesus, and that through them Christ himself touches us with His grace. But the Pastoral Ministry must also open up to an evangelising dimension, reaching out to different situations and respecting the pathway that people’s own lives are taking. We have therefore planned a differentiated and high-calibre form of Pastoral Ministry, in which accompaniment plays a major part, as a means of serving personal growth and spiritual development.
It is this experience that led to the drafting of a Pastoral Care document for the whole Order, laying down the main thrusts of the pastoral ministry in practice, in the manner of Saint John of God.
With the guidance of this document a fresh boost has been given to Pastoral Care in our Centres in relation both to their organisation and to the way be open up to the spiritual dimension of the guests, respectful of religious pluralism. According to this new model of Pastoral Care the laity have been incorporated into our pastoral teams and the presence of people with appropriate training committed to providing spiritual and religious care is now becoming a reality in our Centres. We are continuing to take up the challenge to open up new paths for the proclamation of the Good News of the Kingdom, paying particular care to the different environments in which that proclamation has to take place in practice.
We are on the move, along the pathway of life and of the Church. We must not hark back nostalgically to the past, but pay particular attention to the present, seeking at all times the well-being of the people for whom we care and looking hopefully forward to the future. The spiritual and religious care service can therefore make a valuable contribution to our own model of holistic care.
The Order has placed a wager on this embodied form of Pastoral Care and is dedicating people and resources to it. The General Chapter asked us to work more intensely on a regional basis, and this also has repercussions on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry, with the setting-up of reflection groups in the Order’s four Regions, coordinated by the General Curia, by a team channelling different synergistic forces to enable us to make progress in this exciting task of proclaiming the Kingdom with a style of our own – the style of Saint John of God.
Rules governing the General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry
2019
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1. Name of the Commission:
General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry
2. General purposes of the Commission
To guide and foster pastoral care throughout the whole Order in each of our facilities according to the model defined in the document "Pastoral Care in the Manner of St. John of God", promoting differentiated spiritual care for each of the sectors in which the Order performs its mission.
3. Practical objectives and the Commission’s working method
In order to pursue the General Purposes of this Commission, the following operational objectives have been set for the current Sexennium:
a.- To learn about and share any new pastoral care developments and priorities in the Order’s Regions and to support their initiatives.
b.- To promote formation in the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry in every sector,[1] and every level[2] and area[3].
c.- To continue supporting the implementation of the Document “Pastoral Care in the Manner of St. John of God" in terms of facilities and centres, processes and people.
d.- To continue encouraging reflection, study and research on issues relating to spiritual and religious care.
e- To foster working by sectors.[4]
f - To promote a culture of hospitality offering Spiritual and/or Religious Care services for different entities.
g.- To encourage the study of the Encyclical "Laudato si'" from a pastoral perspective; taking account of particular key concepts: human dignity, relations with people and harmony with creation.
4. Establishment, appointments and duration
At its session on xxxxxxxx, the General Definitory decided to institute a General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry for the six-year period 2019 – 2024, and appointed the following members to serve until the next General Chapter:
Brother Benigno Ramos, President.
Brother André SENE, secretary.
Brother Francis MANNAPARAMPIL, representinge the Asia Pacific.
Ms. Susana QUEIROGA, representing Europe.
Mr. Héctor Raúl VALENZUELA BECERRA representing Latin America
Fr Theodore SOSSOE representing Africa.
Brother Tom OSORIO, representing English-speaking WEONA.
Mr Deacon Peter WEINHAPPl Europe Region.
Brother Daniel GONZALEZ Latin America Region.
5. The Members
No remuneration shall be due to the Members for any work for the Commission.
Travelling expenses shall be borne by their home Provinces.[5]
6. Sub-commissions
No sub-Commissions are yet required to pursue the purposes set out above. The Commission shall work with the Regional sub-Commissions.
7. Reserving meeting rooms, accommodation and facilities for meetings
When the General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry schedules a meeting or any other event, the date shall be agreed jointly with the Secretary-General to avoid overlapping with other meetings or events.
Once the date has been agreed, the Secretary-General, acting jointly with the Prior of la Nocetta, shall reserve the meeting rooms and the accommodation and logistics.
The Secretary-General shall also organise meeting the Commission members on arrival and the airport shuttle service.
The Secretary-General shall also inform Mr Pietro Cacciarelli of all scheduled meetings. Mr. Cacciarelli shall engage the interpreters.
8. Convocation and regularity of the meetings
The President shall convene the meetings and draw up the provisional agenda. The Members of the Commission may propose additional agenda items for inclusion. The final agenda shall be adopted by all members of the Commission at the beginning of each meeting
The Superior General may propose any items he considers appropriate for inclusion on the agenda.
A copy of the convocation letter and agenda shall be forwarded to the Secretary-General.
The General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry shall meet once a year, preferably in the second half.
The Commission may invite other external participants to attend meetings or part of the meetings of the Commission when this is deemed useful for dealing with particular matters.
9. Minutes and recipients
Minutes of the deliberations of every meeting shall be drafted by the Secretary. The minutes shall be moved for adoption by the Commission at its next meeting. Copies of the minutes shall be forwarded to:
- The Superior General.
- All the Members of the Commission.
- The Secretary-General.
10. Organisation of events and congresses
The Commission shall not hold any extraordinary meetings in this Sexennium.
11. Drafting documents
During the Sexennium, the Commission may issue conclusions based on its deliberations and reflections, and decide whether it would be useful to have them translated..
12. Information and communications
It is important to inform the the St John of God Family of the activities of the General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry. Although it is not necessary to draft a report of every meeting for the Order's website, it should provide at least a summary record of the first meeting and whenever the Commission concludes a particular stage of its work. These reports, accompanied by images, shall be forwarded to the Secretary-General, who shall take a final decision on how it should be published.
Brother André Sène (Secretary) shall be responsible for handling information and reporting on the work of the General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry.
13. Links between the General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry and the other offices and structures at the General Curia
The Secretary-General, who is also Secretary of the Commission, shall be responsible for liaising with the General Council.
The representative of each Region on the Commission shall liaise with the Regional sub-Commissions on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry.
14. The Commission Rules
The Rules governing the General Commission on the Pastoral Care of the Sick and the Social Pastoral Ministry were approved by the General Definitory at its meeting on ..../.../......
Rome, ..../..../.........
Brother Jesus Etayo
Superior General
[1] Sectors are: People with disabilities, Terminally ill, Mental disorders, the elderly, General Hospitals, Social care, and Co-workers.
[2] Levels are: Senior and middle management, and general staff
[3] Areas are: Ecclesial, Episcopal Conference, Diocesan, Parish and Intercongregational
[4] The General Pastoral Commission is committed to developing the following sectors:
Pastoral Care in Mental Health: Latin America
Pastoral Care of People with Disabilities: WEONA
Pastoral care in the Social field: Europe
[5] According to
the criteria in force in their Provinces
