Bringing the Celebration of the Mass to Good Samaritan Home: Parish Stewards Enjoy Taking Residents to Liturgy

On Thursday mornings at 10 a.m., Bobbi Talken and a handful of volunteers are at Good Samaritan Home for Holy Mass. Good Samaritan Home is a facility that holds various levels of care from independent living to rehab to assisted living and full nursing home care.

“They have all phases of care,” Bobbi says. “They have an Alzheimer’s unit, all different stages of illness. We bring Mass to them.”

The group shows up early to get the Catholic residents to the Social Hall for Mass.

“We go at about 9:30 a.m.,” Bobbi says. “The volunteers get the residents. Most of them are in wheelchairs, or we walk with them. I set up the altar. We make sure we have enough hosts for however many people are there. It’s different every week. Some have appointments and some just don’t feel that well that day.”

There are about 10 volunteers, and Bobbi is the contact for them.

“Everybody’s not always there,” she says. “Sometimes they’re sick or they go on vacation. They let me know if they’re not going to be there. We have certain people who do certain things. We have a reader who reads the Epistles. If she can’t be there, I need to find somebody else.”

Volunteering with the Good Samaritan Mass group is more than attending Mass or taking residents down to the hall.

“It’s a very important ministry,” Bobbi says. “Just taking the residents to Mass is stewardship. They’re glad to go to Mass. I don’t know what would happen if it weren’t for the volunteers to take them, and take them back to their rooms afterwards. They get Holy Communion. Most of them don’t get to go out to their home church. This is their only chance to receive Holy Communion.”

There is a bit of work involved, though – it’s not just attending Mass.

“There is a lot of walking going to get the residents,” Bobbi says. “Good Samaritan Home is a big home, sprawled out. It’s not an easy job, but it’s a fulfilling job.”

Bobbi knows from personal experience how special this ministry is.

“My mother-in-law was in the nursing home for 12 years,” she says. “I know how important it was to her. I know how important it is to these people. To get to go to Mass and receive Holy Communion is very important.”

The residents receive assistance if needed during Mass. Fr. Thomas Donovan from St. Anthony of Padua Parish celebrates this Mass.

“Some of them can’t hear,” Bobbi says. “We have hearing devices that they can clip on their ears to hear. We pass out missals so they can follow along with Father. He can give Reconciliation to any resident who wants that. It’s such a blessing for so many people.

“If I’m ever in a nursing home, I hope I have someone to take me to Mass somewhere, wherever it happens to be, and have a priest who can give me Holy Communion,” she adds.

Serving the residents at Good Samaritan Home not only blesses the residents, but also the volunteers.

“I think for a lot of us, it’s an opportunity to go to Mass another day,” Bobbi says. “It’s a way to make people feel loved and cared for. We can do that once a week and take them to Mass. There are so many people in nursing homes who don’t have any family close by. They come when they can, but they can’t come routinely and do this sort of thing. I think it’s just in your heart.”