Life is a precious gift from God, a gift to be cherished and respected from conception to natural death. The Church calls the faithful to be witnesses to the sanctity of life in a society that places little value on the most vulnerable: the unborn, handicapped and the elderly. At some point in every person’s life one is faced with the dilemma of placing a parent(s) in a nursing care facility. Secular nursing homes more often than not prove to be a trying experience for elderly Catholics. Granted, they may receive excellent physical care but they do not receive the adequate spiritual care needed as they prepare to meet the Lord. Here in Canada, nestled in the heart of the Prairies is a real “gem”, a shining example in Catholic health care, providing for both body and soul: St. Joseph’s Home, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
The Home was founded over forty years ago as a part of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon. It has the blessing of being under the administration and spiritual care of the Ukrainian Sisters of St. Joseph. The Monastery is separate but there is always one Sister who remains overnight in case of emergency along with the 24-hour nursing staff. The facility has two floors able to accommodate 85 residents, many of who are of Ukrainian descent. It is well to point out with regards to the residents that they are all treated with respect and without distinction according to their health problems. An example is that those suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s are not segregated from those who do not. At St. Joseph’s there is no such thing as an “Alzheimer’s ward”; instead, their dignity as a person, as a child of God, is held sacred.
When one visits for the first time, one cannot help but immediately sense the atmosphere of peace and serenity which comes from a life of prayer and love fostered by the Sisters among the seniors. As you enter the front door you are greeted by the statue of St. Joseph in a fountain. This is the sitting area where residents gather to talk, watch the morning news or just to take a snooze. As you walk down the halls, you are attended by the many comforting pictures of the Mother of God, Jesus and the saints. These always keep the mind lifted to Heaven or give courage to the heart of a resident for whom waking is a struggle or joy to another who is lonely for family. Upstairs on the second floor is an indoor botanical garden solarium. Full of lush flowers, plants and trees, it provides great therapy for the seniors, especially during the winter months. On the ground floor is an even larger solarium offering a place for quiet reading or reception of visitors. A large recreation room on the ground floor is also furnished to serve the residents needs for the various activities scheduled during the day.
The crown of St. Joseph’s Home is the full size chapel found just off the sitting area. It is there that Jesus is reserved in the Tabernacle to accompany the residents on their final journey to eternity. Inside, the Byzantine Icon screen with icons of Jesus, Mary and other saints fills one with reverential awe. There is plenty of seating, with full size pews, extra space for wheelchairs and walkers, and a confessional. The Home has a chaplain, a Ukrainian Catholic priest and who celebrates Divine Liturgy daily and offers the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Anointing and spiritual direction as needed. This is the nucleus of what life at the Home is all about — it is God centered, Jesus-in-the-Eucharist centered.
Spending a day with the residents, one sees the resemblance of life here to living the monastic rule — a melding of life with the eleven Sisters. As at any typical nursing home there is the morning routine but again, this “gem” in the prairies has quite a contrast. Walking down the corridor at 7 am towards the chapel, one sees many of the residents sitting in their wheelchairs or leaning on walkers, lined up praying the Rosary, reading a prayer book or sitting silently waiting for the doors to be opened. As time gets closer, a small crowd of eager souls congregate outside, waiting anxiously to be the first to get a seat for Divine Liturgy. There are serious times and even humorous ones — reminders that even in old age there is still need for growth in virtue. Battles can break out among residents over a favorite pew — but one will be sure to hear one of the Sisters speak up: “Children, we are here preparing to meet the Lord as the end of our life approaches. He wants us to love one another and to share.” Again the goal of the Home and Sisters’ apostolate is always to help these dear ones to be ready to meet the Lord when He calls them.
The recreation room is the meeting place for activities that include singing traditional Ukrainian songs, religious and folk, plus exercises and games all conducted by the Sisters and received with smiles and enthusiasm. Special guests sometimes come from one of the Catholic schools to entertain with their stage band or the Ukrainian kindergarten students come for a visit. Movie hour is always geared to a religious theme with such films as “The Song of Bernadette”, “The Miracle of Fatima” or documentaries on monasteries in the East. As the day opens with prayer, so it closes with prayer. At the end of the day one of the Sisters prays over the intercom the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be with the comforting words in Ukrainian “Dobravyniche” or” goodnight.” No doubt the presence of the Sisters is what makes life at St. Joseph’s unique, so special, because they bring the love, mercy and compassion of Christ to those who are suffering and in need.
It is certainly appropriate that this “gem” is named after St. Joseph, as he is invoked by the Universal Catholic Church as “Patron of a happy death.” He had the privilege to die in the arms of Jesus and Mary and so he is most solicitous for such as the elderly who are so near departing to God. The Church is like a ship whose passengers are journeying with the Sacraments and prayer as their bulwark. St. Joseph’s Home is a final stop-over before eternity, a school filled with occasions to grow in holiness, an opportunity for conversion and to sanctify oneself in the very last stages of one’s life in Christ.
