If you or a family member are ill, about to undergo surgery, or are hospitalized, please let your clergy know! When something happens for which you need the care of a doctor, you generally don’t wait for your GP to call you before you call the GP for an appointment! It’s the same with your priest: we won’t know your emergent pastoral need unless you tell us. And it would be a blessing to us to pray with- and for you, to bring the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood to you, to companion you in whatever circumstance you may be facing.
You might think to yourself, “Oh, but I don’t want to bother my clergy—they’re so busy and have other people or things to attend to.” May the Holy Spirit love that thought right out of your brain and replace it with this one: you’re important, beloved by God and beloved by your clergy. The nurture of your spiritual life and of your good are part of the business of love to which your clergy have been called and for which the Spirit is daily preparing and forming them. It’s who they are! Don’t let either self-effacement or overweening pride prevent you from availing yourself of the care that your Lord, your Church, and your clergy unanimously desire for you.
And if you’re relying on the grapevine to convey word back to us, please don’t! The grapevine is unreliable, inefficient and a little unseemly for Christians to use, given that it’s just another way of talking about a rumor mill…and what’s more, it can lead to feelings of isolation and resentment! Direct communication is both ideal and efficacious.
Moreover, please don’t wait for a crisis to either develop or befall you, or an adverse circumstance of any sort to daunt or overwhelm you before you reach out. Pastoral care may include spiritual emergencies, but it’s so much more than that: it’s about nurturing our response to God’s constant invitation to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ through any and every circumstance; it’s about seeing how God is already showing up in our lives, meeting us where we are, creating connection and community, empowering us to grow together in faith, hope, and love. Pastoral care is a way of growing in prayer, growing in virtue, growing in discernment, growing in community, growing in grace, growing in love.
You can reach out to me directly at mschultz@saintthomaschurch.org or (212) 757-7013 ext. 417. You can reach out to other clergy via their contact info as well. You can use the welcome@saintthomaschurch.org email to communicate a general message, too. You can also come to the Resurrection Chapel on Saturdays from 11am to 11:45am to meet with a priest for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Anointing, for prayer, or spiritual counsel.
And if you find yourself in the midst of a real spiritual emergency (a crisis of faith, the death of a loved one, an urgent or pressing need for prayer or a word of comfort and support in desperately difficult times), please don’t hesitate to call the Emergency Pastoral Care Line: 917-674-1899.
Emergency Pastoral Care Line:
917-674-1899
You can leave a message (that includes your phone number) and someone will quickly be in touch. However, DO NOT call the Emergency Line as a replacement for calling 911; if you’re in immediate physical danger or medical need call 911 first! Alternatively (and this is important): the Emergency Line is not the best place to go if you’re interested in the church hours, the concert schedule, website or technical support, or general information.
Beloved, Our Lord says to us through Scripture, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. xi.28). Don’t labor alone or hold on to what is burdening you. Your clergy are here to help you seek the peace that God desires to give, and to bear your burdens with you.
Under the Mercy,
Mark+
