Holy Apostles Catholic Church

Parish Nursing History

            Parish Nursing is one of the newer, yet older models of health care delivery.  Many examples are given of religious orders and congregations providing care for the sick (e.g. Mother Teresa's Missionary Sisters of Charity).  Churches have been involved in the delivery of health care for 2,000 years.

            A registered nurse delivers primary, holistic nursing care within a congregation for the purpose of assisting the members obtain optimal mental, physical and spiritual health.  This new practice site returns healing to the place where it began- the church.

            At Holy Apostles Parish in Meridian, Idaho, around the time of the merging of the two parishes, Father Tim Ritchey invited Kim Martz, a registered nurse with prior parish nursing experience, to start this ministry.  Father Ritchey then signed a contract with Catholic Charities of Idaho and St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.  This contract provided liability coverage through St. Alphonsus for the program and required the church to provide office space for the registered nurse.  This was to be accomplished on a volunteer basis.

            Kim Martz has served for two years on a volunteer basis.  The program has fostered the church's healing mission through education, screenings, the healing ministry now present at the parish, referrals to outside or church ministries, counseling on health concerns, advocating for parishioners in hospitals and nursing homes.  It has offered blood pressure screenings, flu clinics, mammography screening, end of life decision making workshops, weight and nutrition classes, yoga, cholesterol and cardiac screening, prescription drug classes, CPR and first-aid, coordinating healing masses, centering prayer class and has helped many parishioners manage the complicated world of medicine.

            Seeing the value in such a program, Father Ritchey as pastor, Kim Martz as our parish nurse and Sister Alice Mary Quintana of St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center’s  Mission Department, met frequently to discuss the possibility of offering a salaried position as is done all over the country.  Through many meetings with hospital officials, it was decided to make Holy Apostles a pilot project for a paid Parish Nurse position that may serve as a model for the Diocese.  The Sisters of the Holy Cross would fund half of the salary and Holy Apostles would fund the other half.   In February, Connie Mortensen was hired to carry out the project.  Kim Martz remains in a voluntary position and on the Advisory Committee at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.   In February of 2004, we will evaluate and present the results to the hospital, the parish and the diocese with the hopes to continue this healing mission in many parishes as a paid model.