By Julie Keane, Globe staff reporter
January 22, 2004

CARROLL - Parishioners in Carroll are giving the gift of their time to distribute the Eucharist to patients at St. Anthony's Hospital who are unable to attend Mass regularly.

Mary Jane Berger, Dr. Westie Westendorf and Robert Bruner are three parishioners who have been going to the hospital weekly to distribute the Eucharistic to patients.

Berger has been going to the hospital every Monday. She said that she become involved in this ministry at the hospital after she had spent time in the nursing home herself.

"I was attending Mass at the nursing home while I was recovering," Berger said. "I appreciated the Eucharistic ministers coming to me in the hospitals and at home. I think that is when I wanted to bring it to people who weren't able to come to Mass."

She also said that she thinks going to the hospital has increased her faith in the Eucharist and she now has a greater appreciation for the Eucharist.

Berger has been going to the hospital for approximately one year and said she continues because she believes in the Eucharist and thinks life is of service.

"I started doing it because I believe that life should be of service," Berger said. "I think Jesus himself always visited the sick. I guess that I think that people appreciate this and it is a real privilege. St. Anthony's is a Catholic hospital and I think it is very important."

Westendorf also sees the importance in this type of ministry and started going to the sick after he was ordained as a deacon 15 years ago.

"At that time the deacons were interested in pastoral care and I thought having been around the hospital as much as I was it would be good for me," Westendorf said. "I have always been able to do."

He said that those at the hospital enjoy when people come to visit and bring them the Eucharist.

"People are really appreciative and if people have something they want to talk about then we can talk about it," Westendorf said. "It is just a matter of seeing them and spending a little bit of time with them and when people are in the hospital they always enjoy visiting with someone and I enjoy doing that."

Westendorf used to minister the Eucharist at St. Anthony every morning, but in recent years due to his health he goes three times a week.

"I have nothing else to do so I will devout my time to serving those in the hospital and that is a good mission," Westendorf said. "There are so many different ministries that I am not able to do and this is one that I can do. I hope that I can continue to do it."

Westendorf said that the young people are very receptive to receiving communion and that gives him a real thrill each time they say yes when he asks if they would like to receive the Eucharist.

Bruner was recruited by Westendorf to help give Eucharistic at St. Anthony's in 1998.

"Westie took me out to dinner one night and told me that it would be a nice thing for me to do," Bruner said. "So I gave it a whirl and I went up about once a week on Wednesdays."

Bruner said that he always feels good when he does something for others and going to the hospital gives him a chance to make others feel good.

"I think people in the hospital don't have very many people stopping into see them and when someone brings them Communion, they can visit with them and cheer them up a little bit," Burner said. "I always feel good when I am doing something for others. It makes me feel good, and I think that I made them feel good."