MERCHANTVILLE — At the St. Peter’s Church Senior Ministry here, the group of 20 begin the day reciting prayers next to a portrait of Pope John Paul II.
It is not the profile of the 50ish young pope, standing and basking in the adulation of a huge throng. It is, instead, the pope struggling in old age in a public way, contributing to the image that later won him the accolade of “Saint.” He is an octogenerian, face bloated by medications, his eyes sunken into his face, offering a weary gesture from a waving hand. It is a visual reminder that wisdom and holiness is frequently nurtured toward the end of a long life.
“Jesus wants to be close to us no matter the situation,” says Bobbie Bradley, leading the short prayer service, acknowledging the physical ailments and the experience of the deaths of loved ones offered as intentions. Bradley is the director of Senior Ministry at St. Peter’s, a registered nurse with a master’s degree in theology with a gift for addressing the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of the aging.
Every Monday through Friday —except for two weeks for summer vacation — visitors come to the center here, sometimes by foot or driven by themselves or a parish volunteer. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. they pray, exercise, enjoy a light breakfast and lunch provided by parish volunteers, and break through the anxiety of aging alone with only the television for a companion. Depending on the event, up to 60 people can fill the former parish convent on any one day, up to more than 5,000 visits per year. The median age of participants is 83; the oldest is 97.
There is a strong spiritual component: Deacon Michael Waak of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Cherry Hill, leads the group in biblical reflections. There is occasional Mass and regular prayers.
But there’s also fun.
“I feel comfortable here,” says Myrna Brauer, a non-Catholic who came for the exercise program and, even after an injury sidelined her, comes back for the friendship she’s experienced.
Some regulars work at outreach projects. This day they are writing birthday greetings to an autistic teenage boy in Texas. The St. Peter’s community, they say, is a part of their routine they couldn’t easily do without.
“I like to exercise, say the Rosary and go to Mass,” said Bonnie Walker. Rose Abrams, another regular, became a Catholic after experiencing the welcoming life of the community. Joan Buono came here after her husband died. “It was a low point in my life,” she said, “but everyone showed such support. That’s why I’m here.”
It is the only such fulltime operation active in the diocese, and is looked upon as a model for what a future ministry to the aging might look like in the 68 parishes of South Jersey. It is a way for the church to reach those, according to Pope Francis, who have reached “a time of grace, in which the Lord will renew his call.”
In a recent audience to seniors gathered in Rome, the pope said that facilities for the elderly should be “the lungs of humanity in a country, neighborhood or parish, sanctuaries of humanity where those who are old and weak are cared for and taken care of like a brother or a sister.”
St. Peter’s is reaching for that papal ideal.
The program began in 2011 after Father Anthony Manuppella, pastor of St. Peter’s, responded to a call by then-Bishop Joseph Galante for parishes to involve themselves in compassionate outreach to those in need. Father Manuppella soon hired Ms. Bradley.
Bishop Dennis Sullivan is an occasional visitor, including March 9 when he regaled the community by singing “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” in early anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day.
Deacon Gerard Jablonowski, director of Home and Parish-Based Healthcare Services for the diocese, is another occasional visitor who likes what he’s seen. The scene of elders praying near icons and portraits of popes, combined with exercise, recreation and relaxed lunches, is a dream to realize throughout South Jersey as baby boomers transform into seniors.
“St. Peter’s provides the opportunity to bring the elderly together … through these parish-centered programs, we hope to defeat the ills of isolation and bring all our faithful into a full sense of community and union with the members of their parish families,” said Deacon Jablonowski.
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