Pastoral Care at St. Clement's

The adjective "pastoral" comes from a greek word that means shepherd. The tasks of the Near Eastern shepherd were to watch for enemies trying to attack the sheep, to defend the sheep from attackers, to heal the wounded and sick sheep, to care for them, and to earn their trust. When we use the word nowadays in the church, it refers to caring in the name of Christ for a person for whom we have some formal responsibility.

Who undertakes this work? The stereotypical image of the priest going from door to door, visiting all the parishioners and responding to their every pastoral need is still a reality in some places. However, it has become increasingly less possible in the large urban parishes of the twenty-first century. This is certainly true at St. Clement's with its large and busy congregation. However, many gifted and caring Christian women and men, from different backgrounds and walks of life, have risen to this challenge and partner with the clergy to provide pastoral care. These people include the following:

  • The clergy oversee all pastoral ministry undertaken in the parish. In addition to their own pastoral duties, ranging from counselling and crisis intervention to weddings and funerals, they recruit, train, and partner with those in the congregation who are engaged in specialized areas of pastoral work.
  • The Stephen Ministers are lay people who come up alongside those in crisis for a specified period of time to offer friendship and support. See pop-up link just above this one on the Our Worship page. (Contact: David Shaw)
  • The Link to Seniors ministry is made up of people who keep in touch with seniors and link them to congregational and community resources that will assist them to live independent and fulfilling lives. (Contact: Audrey Wilson)
  • The Wednesday Community Lunch provides a warm and friendly environment once a week in which people who come in from the street with a variety of needs can break bread with friends, network with others with similar challenges, and receive helpful advice and counsel. (Contact: Carol Coman)
  • The Lay Pastoral Visitors go out into the community to visit the home-bound and those with special needs. (Contact: Canon Tanner)
  • The Newcomers Ministry welcomes those who visit our church and partner with them to find their way around our large parish family. (Contact: Vanessa Charlesworth)
This list is far from complete because pastoral care goes on informally at many levels of church life. However, all those who are called to participate formally in pastoral ministry are trained for their task and adhere to a strict code of ethics. Whenever they reach out to another, they do so with accountability and as representatives of the congregation and the church at large.

If you feel that you or someone you know would benefit from pastoral care, do not hesitate to call the St. Clement's church office and one of the clergy would be pleased to speak or meet with you and discuss how best to meet address the need.

-Contributed by Canon Richard Tanner