About Us

Sacraments for Seniors is a committee of Catholic lay persons in the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis Minnesota who advocate for Catholic residents living in long-term care facilities to help them gain access to Clergy and receive the Sacraments of Anointing of the Sick, the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation.

Below are some some testimonials from our volunteers to demonstrates the importance
to our seniors of receiving the Sacraments!

Sacraments Provided Hope in the Middle of Lockdown

I work for a non-profit organization whose office is located in a Catholic church. In April, during the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, I arrived at work early in the morning. As I was getting out of my car, a SUV with an older couple drove into the parking lot. As the car drew close, the driver, a woman, rolled down her window and asked if there was a way for her to receive Holy Communion. I explained that due to Covid, the church was not holding public Masses.

The woman started crying. She explained that she lived at a near-by assisted living facility that was under a strict Covid lockdown. Residents were only allowed to leave the facility to either go to a doctor’s appointment or to pick up a prescription. Additionally, visitors were not allowed into the facility – all of which made her feel like she was a prisoner. It was then that she looked across the parking lot and saw one of our priests approaching the side door of the church. She begged me to ask the priest to give her Holy Communion. I cut across the grass and quickly explained the situation. The priest readily agreed to give her Holy Communion. He then went into the church to get his things and came back a few minutes later wearing a mask.

As the priest and I approached the couple in the car, the woman, using a walker, got out to meet us. Her joy in receiving Holy Communion was very apparent. It was beautiful to see and she touched my heart in a profound way. And while she knew she had received a special gift that day, she was unaware that she also had given me a gift.

Timely Education of Non-Catholic Nursing Home Chaplain

Agnes was a Catholic who resided in a Methodist nursing facility.  The facility was old and small, but the staff cared well for both the physical and spiritual needs of the residents. In fact, the chaplain, a Methodist pastor, who worked in tandem with the activity director, offered spiritual services on a regular basis for all the residents of the various faiths represented. At one point, Agnes’ health declined so much that the end seemed near. The Methodist pastor had been visited by a Sacraments for Seniors volunteer some weeks before. This volunteer had stressed the importance of the Last Sacraments for the dying. Fortunately, the alert pastor realized that Agnes was Catholic and in immediate need of the Sacraments as she lay dying. He called the volunteer who was able to have a priest come to administer the Last Sacraments to prepare Agnes for a peaceful death and entrance into Eternal Life.  

A Bit of Confusion

From a volunteer: I was visiting a senior living facility the other day, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the facility hosted weekly Catholic Mass on their activity board. “That’s wonderful,” I said, but then I looked closer. The notice went on to say that the Mass was “resident led”–most likely a reference to a Communion service with Scripture readings.

While Communion services are excellent and needed in facilities, they do not take the place of a Mass or the Sacraments that only a priest can administer.  Our Seniors need to be anointed, especially at the hour of death, and they need to have regular Confession times available.  Often they cannot speak up for themselves, and they have no practicing Catholic relative to speak up for them.

May all of us make it our responsibility to make sure that our priests and our seniors are connecting at this most important time of their lives with regular Mass times and priest visits.  You can help raise awareness of the sacramental needs of the elderly by visiting our volunteer tab on the Sacraments for Seniors website.