By KENNY KEANE, Globe staff reporter
September 11, 2003

CARROLL - Undergoing two major surgeries within the last year has not stopped Dr. Louis Westendorf, a retired deacon of the Sioux City Diocese, from continuing the service he has provided for the past 15 years following his ordination to the diaconate.

Similar to the "Scooter Chaplain," Father Dennis Meinen of Sioux City, Westendorf, or "Westie" as he's better known, now uses a scooter to assist him in resuming his pastoral work at St. Anthony Regional Hospital and Nursing Home in Carroll.

"I'm 86, and my legs are very weak," said Westendorf, a member of St. Lawrence Parish. "I can't walk very good so I bought a scooter that I can use now to make my rounds with. I hope to continue on as long as I am able to."

Originally from Halbur, Westendorf was a dentist for 50-some years, graduating from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. He moved to Carroll and practiced his trade there the entire time except for the five years he was in the service and worked at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas.

Aside from his duties during liturgies at St. Lawrence, Westendorf wanted to expand his duties as a deacon by serving the patients and residents of St. Anthony's.

"Primarily it was bringing the Eucharist to the people and visiting them according to their wishes - whatever they wanted to talk about," he said. "It's been three years ago that I officially retired as a deacon. I don't do any work at the Mass, but I do bring Communion to people on the first Fridays. What I do is the same except that I don't work around the sacristy or around the sanctuary at all.

"I think it's very important to visit with people who are ill - many of them are terminal. I just feel like sometimes they'd like to talk with someone. Outside of that, most of the time I don't spend a lot of time with the patients. Mostly they're pretty sick, and I don't want to wear them out any more than they are. I play each case as it works out."

Before his recent surgeries, Westendorf would spend every morning at St. Anthony's, but now he is down to just three mornings a week.

"If I get a few hours in, visiting with the people in the nursing home and in the hospital, it gives me a great deal of satisfaction to know that there is someone somewhere along the line who I can help but at the same token do a lot for me," he said. "I really feel I gain a lot by serving my Lord by serving those people. The hospital staff and the patients have been most appreciative.

"I know when I was gone, a number of the people asked when I would be back. I personally receive more out of it maybe than what I give the patients."

According to the president of St. Anthony's, Gary Riedmann, even after his retirement from the diaconate, Westendorf has been a very active, involved contributor of his time and energy at the hospital and nursing home.

"He's just a very pleasant, supportive resource to our patients, residents and family members," Riedmann said. "The people see him as a very caring, supportive helper throughout the organization.

"It's interesting from Westie's point. He's had a number of personal illnesses that he's had to deal with - health problems. He always asks me, 'Now you're not going to fire me when I go off to get taken care of are you?' We're just always so happy to have him back as part of our organization."

Riedmann said St. Anthony's is very fortunate to have the services of the priests, nuns and deacons who are all part of the organization.

"Westie's a real, positive part of that," he said. "He keeps coming back. I think it's important to him. His wife passed away a year and a half or so ago. This is a very important part of his life.

"He's just a very special man with giving of his time to care for our patients and residents in a real special way. He loves his work, he's happy to be here and we just welcome him with open arms."

Westendorf said working at both the hospital and nursing home has been a wonderful experience.

"I have totally enjoyed the diaconate and when I was able to help around the altar," he said. "To serve my pastor and the bishop are primarily the functions that I do, and I do these because that's what I should do as a deacon."