By Chris Valley

Thirty to 40 people gather together on a Saturday morning. They are teenage, middle age, or older. All are drawn together by a common concern for ministry to older people. They are participating in a Parish Assembly on Needs of Elders, a program offered by Catholic Social Services.

“It’s interesting that a change of a word can change the image of what we’re talking about,” muses Steve Brazen, executive assistant at Catholic Social Services (CSS). “When we started our pilot project on Parish Assemblies, we decided to use the word ‘elder’ instead of ‘elderly.’ That change really made a difference in the way needs were discussed.”

The word “elder” conveys authority and wisdom, maintains Mr. Brazen, while the word “elderly” conveys frailty and dependency.

The difference is significant because CSS and parish organizations not only try to meet needs of frail elders, they also work with elders as partners in planning.

Initially, CSS staff meets with the parish pastor and staff: Then the parish council is approached and asked to establish a committee to be liaison between the parish and CSS.

“Recruitment of (Parish Assembly) participants, and general public awareness is carried out over a two-month period by parish leadership,” says Mr. Brazen. “This involves anything that can stir people’s enthusiasm about the Parish Assembly.”

CSS trains parishioners to serve as discussion leaders for workshops held during the Parish Assembly. Parishioners also plan the liturgy held during the Assembly and plan the meal serviced as the closing event of the day.

A long-range goal for Father Jacob Bollmer, executive director of CSS, has been to use the staff as facilitators and technical assistants to parish leadership, Mr. Brazen said. “The assembly is one way we’ve been able to do that where staff help a parish come up with its own programs for the elderly,” he said. “It’s a way of getting our services out into the community.”

“At the start of the Assembly we brainstorm what the parish was like in the past, how it is today, and what they want to see happen in the future,” Mr. Brazen notes. “It’s part of creating the motivation to do something together.”

The Parish Assembly takes place in one day, and usually involves a morning workshop identifying “Challenges” or issues to be addressed, and an afternoon workshop identifying “Proposals” to meet the challenges.

“The most important thing is follow-up,” comments Mr. Brazen. “CSS staff members arrange meetings with participants one or two weeks after the Assembly. The Assembly’s work is evaluated and decisions are made about how to proceed. Then CSS staff meet with parishioners monthly until plans are firmed up.”

“In the past, CSS staff have been available at the request of parishes,” says Sister Teresa Termini, program director of Services for the Elderly. “A parish might call us for training in nursing home visitation or to learn how to establish a telephone reassurance program. The Parish Assembly allows us to take a comprehensive view of the parish’s resources and the needs of the community.

“Pastors sometimes would call and say, ‘we want to do something,’ but they were unsure of where to start. Through use of Parish Assemblies, we’ve tried to ask parishioners themselves what they see as needs of elders in their community. Then using local resources, we see what realistically can be done," Sister says.

“But it’s not only a process of helping parishes identify problems and get directions set, it’s also real community building, getting people to work together,” Sister continues. “What develops are programs for and with the elders themselves.”

CSS staff have conducted Parish Assemblies on Needs of Elders at St. Anthony’s Church in southwest Atlanta and at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in northeast Atlanta. A third parish, Saints Peter and Paul Church in Decatur, has had a Parish Assembly focused on general needs of the parish.

At St. Anthony’s, parishioners held their Parish Assembly in October 1981.

“The Parish Assembly was a well organized day. It brought out a lot of participation. I was most impressed with the people’s eagerness to minister to needs of the elderly,” notes Sister Suzanne Giro, pastoral associate.

Three outcomes of the Assembly were an interview survey of all parish elders in order to identify specific needs, a list of volunteers to provide transportation to church and telephone reassurance network.

A year later, parishioners at Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) Church held their Assembly. The OLA group decided to purchase a van for transportation, develop a skills bank of volunteers, include elders in more parish activities, and educate the parish-at-large about the needs of elders.

“The really neat thing,” says Sister Carolyn Oberkirch, OLA pastoral minister, “is finding out ways of working with the county. We work together with the DeKalb County Council on Aging so that there is no duplication or overlap of services. We share resources. For example, they use our van for special trips and we provide transportation for medical care in conjunction with the county.”

CSS is hiring a Parish Outreach Worker to extend services to elders. This staff member will assist parishes in program development and will offer Parish Assemblies on a more concerted basis.

“The Parish Assembly is more than a workshop or planning day, it’s a celebration of envisioning the future,” maintains Mr. Brazen.