By Andrea McGovern
SHAKER HEIGHTS-For pastoral associate Bonnie Stein, it’s all in the attitude. Stein ministers at St. Dominic Parish in Shaker Heights, and although she has two businesses in addition to her parish work, and works seven days a week, she said it doesn’t even feel like work because it’s “all fun.”
At St. Dominic, Stein is responsible for the Ministry to the Elderly. She usually has about 20 homebound parishioners whom she visits twice a month. She also visits the elderly in nursing homes and helps with the bereavement ministry.
When Stein visits with an elderly parishioner, the visit lasts about 40 minutes. During that time, they talk about all the things that are going on in the person’s life and in the parish. “It’s such a beautiful sharing,” she said.
St. Dominic has about 1400 families, with a larger than average senior population of nearly 400 people over the age of 60. It’s no wonder that the church identified seniors as a group needing a special ministry.
“I was working here as a bookkeeper, and wasn’t really happy with what I was doing,” Stein said. “When Father Tom (Rev. Thomas Fanta, the pastor) proposed I be a pastoral associate and concentrate on the elderly, little did I know how incredible this ministry would be.”
In the past five years, with the help of the ministry for older adults’ board, Stein has built a program that also includes communion services, an extensive calendar of social events and outings, a ministry of praise, an annual Mass of Anointing and a birthday celebration for those turning 80. She also works with children in St. Dominic School to establish intergenerational visiting and programs.
“We talk about what it means just to visit, to not bring anything but yourself,” she said. She also prepares the children for communication difficulties they may encounter, such as poor hearing. A schedule of visits is then set up for the school year. “I’m sure the kids get as much from this as the seniors do,” she said.
The ministry of praise is a group where “you never have to leave your house or go to a meeting,” Stein said. She publishes a monthly newsletter asking for participants to pray for parishioners who have died or who are ill. She also includes prayers of thanksgiving from those who have received special prayer in the past. Every month she calls all the prayer recipients so she can update the 80 pray-ers on their situations.
“This ministry is all the things I could ever dream of doing rolled into one,” Stein said. In addition to her work with parishioners, she loves the office environment at St. Dominic, and says her colleagues there are like family.
Stein grew up in Shaker Heights and St. Dominic parish. Her parents, Patricia and Roland Arnold, are still in town, as well. She said both her parents are excellent cooks, and if the family had a cook off, they would win.
Stein has been married for 15 years to Gary Stein, whom she calls her “gift.” Her first husband passed away at the age of 36, leaving her with three young children. Even after such a tragedy in her life, Stein still marvels at her blessings and practices an attitude of gratitude every day. Her children are all grown and married, and she now has five grandchildren 2 years and younger and another one on the way.
And what about the other two jobs? Stein owns a dog grooming practice and is a certified practitioner of pet massage. This is very helpful for anxious and arthritic animals. She and her husband also own a laundromat on Cleveland’s West Side, where she spends a large part of her time working alongside her husband. They have made their business an outreach to the multiethnic population in the lower income neighborhood. “For us this is as much a ministry as a business,” she said. The couple serves refreshments on Sundays and offers a free meal every month, open to all the neighbors, not just the customers. “We do this because we are truly blessed in our lives and believe in passing this on to others,” she said.
McGovern is a freelance writer.
ANDREA MC GOVERN
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