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Pathways Retirement Home

Pathways Retirement Home is within the boundaries of St. Jerome’s Parish so it became the responsibility of the Parish to look after the spiritual needs of the Catholic men and women who reside there.
Pathways Retirement Home

We first went to Pathways when it opened in l989 for one Catholic person, and over the years the numbers gradually increased. At the present time there are twenty-eight and has gone as high as thirty-two. Others come and go for shorter periods recuperating from surgery. Notices are given to each new resident introducing them to our Parish involvement.

The Liturgy of the Word with Communion is celebrated each Sunday morning at 10:15 am held in the staff diningroom and conducted on a rotating basis by a group of four very dedicated and faithful Eucharistic Ministers. They operate on a schedule that's given out every four months. If requested Communion is also brought by another Eucharistic Minister to the room of any person who is ill and not physically able to attend the Sunday Liturgy.

Visits are made during each month and notices passed out to the residents with the dates and times of services. Any new Catholic resident receives a personal welcome from the Parish and additional printed information about St. Jerome's, as new residents are from Parishes across the City. On the first Friday of each month at 11:00 am in the Chapel at Pathways the residents celebrate the Eucharist with Father Hamish Currie, St. Jerome's Pastor. There are several faithful volunteers who arrange an altar, serve the Mass, and assist the residents - some in wheelchairs - to attend. Father Hamish provides the piano music for the singing of hymns. The Sacrament of the Sick is celebrated at the Mass once a year - usually in the Fall. At the Easter and Christmas Liturgies we try to have a small choir or a group of musicians to make the occasion more special. Father Hamish arranges for two Masses in December - the usual one on First Friday and another later in the month closer to Christmas. Christmas cards are given from the Parish to our residents, and the Catholic Women's League of St. Jerome's accept gifts donated by members at their Christmas banquet and give some 120 gifts to Pathways for distribution to all the residents on Christmas Eve. This is a very generous and gracious ecumenical gesture by the CWL and is much appreciated by the management and all who live there.

Since the religious denomination of a person entering Pathways is not generally known it's important for the families, or anyone who knows of a Catholic person living there, to give the information to our Parish office so we can make them aware of our programme in place to meet their spiritual needs.