Parish program aims to combine physical, emotional, spiritual care

Published: 2006-01-23

JOHNSTON, R.I. (CNS) -- The parishioners of St. Brigid Church in Johnston are happier and healthier than ever, thanks to a holistic health and wellness program conducted by a dedicated team of parish volunteers. The St. Brigid's Health and Wellness Team Ministry was initiated by Father Robert A. Rochon, pastor, and modeled after the successful Parish Nurse Project developed in the 1980s by the Rev. Granger E. Westberg, an Illinois-based Lutheran minister who founded the program to provide physical, emotional and spiritual care. The parish program is not designed to duplicate any health services offered in the community. Its focus is on health promotion and disease prevention, and it is designed to care for the whole person -- body, mind and spirit. Father Rochon, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and is a former hospital chaplain, initiated the multifaceted wellness program in the Johnston parish based on his experience in the health care industry and as the former director of clinical pastoral education at St. Anne Hospital in Fall River, Mass.

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