Care and Support Our lives and our faith grow, as we reach out to serve one another.

Sometimes we need help. Sometimes we offer help.

In the give and take, we grow stronger as an individual and as a community. There are many ways to serve at The Basilica, through offering or receiving help. Let us grow together!

"When we live out a spirituality of drawing nearer to others and seeking their welfare, our hearts are opened wide to the Lord’s greatest and most beautiful gifts. Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God."

- EVANGELII GAUDIUM of the Holy Father Francis

A Listening Presence

How do I schedule a visit from an Emmaus Listening Minister?

This is a free ministry at The Basilica for anyone wishing to meet with a Volunteer Listener. You will be matched with a Volunteer from Emmaus Listening willing to listen deeply, someone who is highly trained in the skills of active listening and believes in the power of listening deeply. Try it once or twice and see if it’s helpful. If it is, you can continue to schedule more visits with your Listening Minister.

Have you ever wished you had someone to talk to who would just listen—really listen? Without offering advice? Without trying to change or fix your story?

Many times in our lives, it would be wonderful to have an objective, compassionate listening ear. Situations we experience—happy or sad—are powerful stories to tell. Volunteer Listeners from The Basilica's Emmaus Listening Ministry are ready to accompany people, listen with compassion and confidentiality, to accept people as they are, and to honor the wisdom we each hold in our hearts.

Emmaus Ministry is a part of the national BeFrienders ministry program. Visit the BeFrienders website for more information.

How do I become an Emmaus Listening Minister?

You’ll interview, attend training, and complete an internship. Throughout the process, you’ll work with a program leader who can provide guidance and support.

Initial commitment is two years, including:

  • Interviews and Discernment: 2+ hours
  • Training: 15 hours
  • Internship: 4–5 hours of visiting as an intern
  • Ministering: 1-2 hours per month
  • Ministry Support: 2 hours per month

Contact Wendy Caduff for more information.

Ministers visit record

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Grief Ministry at the Basilica of Saint Mary offers support for anyone in the community who is experiencing the loss of a friend or family member through death. When we lose a loved one, grief can turn our life routine inside out. Sadness, confusion, shock and loneliness may occur.

Sometimes it is important to talk; sometimes just to listen.

Trained volunteers with Emmaus Grief Ministry will send cards and letters, make phone calls and provide referral resources to other support ministries in the community.

If you or someone you know has experienced loss, we want to offer you our prayers, concern and support.

Contact Wendy Caduff for more information.

Downtown Coalition for Grief Support

For many, grief support helps the journey toward healing after the loss of a loved one.

What can you expect if you attend?

You will walk into a room full of people who understand what you’re going through.

  • They'll get you through the first months, holidays, and anniversaries.

  • You can come whenever you need solace and support.

  • You can speak of your loved one, no matter how much time has passed.

Are you nervous about attending for the first time?

For some, it's not easy to go to a support group meeting. Know that there are no expectations. What you say. What you do. Whether you share. It is all up to you.

This is a safe place filled with people just like you — people who have been devastated and surprised by the magnitude of their losses.

  • Volunteers acknowledge the anniversary of a loss with cards and letters, expressing the support and prayers of The Basilica community.

  • We make calls and offer resources to those grieving the loss of a loved one.

All are invited to participate in The Basilica’s Employment Ministry.

For an intake appointment, please contact Janet Grove.  Following the intake:

  • You will receive regular job postings from a variety of sources
  • You will receive notices of free workshops at The Basilica and throughout the Twin Cities area
  • You will be able to sign up to meet with Job Coaches who can help you with your job search

We look forward to working with you.

Employment Ministry members have access to:

  • Job coaches — Get one-on-one assistance with resume writing, interviewing, transitions, and self-assessment.
  • Free Employment Ministry workshops — Timely topics to help you find your next job. Registration required.
  • Community networking — Connect with Basilica members already employed in your desired career field.
  • Job leads notifications — Receive e-mail updates several times each week.
  • Lists of online resources — Access job boards, job search web sites and local government web sites.

Behind the Mask: Understanding Invisible Disabilities

On March 15, 2021 The Basilica Employment Ministry presented this free virtual workshop, led by Cindy Edwards and Annie Montemayor.

The unique workshop was developed to:

  • Educate people on the most common invisible disabilities in the workforce today
  • Provide data correlating to the future workforce and invisible disabilities
  • Discuss how to build a culture of disability awareness and acceptance
  • Give resources on understanding when to refer, disclosure rights, privacy and options that protect people with invisible disabilities
  • Promote self-advocacy; helping people understand steps for requesting reasonable accommodations
  • Teach conversation skills for discussing invisible disabilities in the workplace and beyond

Employment Ministry Volunteer Appreciation

Please enjoy this video shout out to the wonderful volunteers that make the Employment Ministry all that it is.

Get the support you need during your job transition:

You don’t have to do it alone. Numerous organizations have excellent support groups and resources to help you find a job.

Resources for your job search:

  • WomenVenture - Career development and transition courses for women
  • HIRED - Workshops, training, job clubs and drop-in job search services for those with low incomes
  • Twin Cities Rise! - Individualized skills training for jobs paying at least $20,000 annually
  • AVIVO - Career training opportunities
  • Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota - Career navigation helps individuals enroll in training, find work and prepare for higher levels of future education and employment.

Committed to Making The Basilica Barrier Free

Access and Inclusion Ministry (AIM), formerly The Disability Awareness Ministry.

The Access and Inclusion Ministry's mission is to remove barriers that prevent the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families in parish life and in the community at large. We do this by ensuring that the Basilica is a welcoming and supportive environment for all.

The Basilica’s AIM:  

  • We AIM to make our faith accessible
  • We AIM to remove barriers
  • We AIM to include more people in the work we do
  • We AIM to always work to make things better
  • We AIM to ensure that everyone feels included regardless of who they are or where they are on their personal and faith journey

We believe that all persons have multiple gifts to share. We also believe that a measure of spiritual and personal growth can come from the purposeful engagement of persons with apparent or with hidden disabilities. This engagement begins with opportunities to increase awareness leading to a realistic understanding of the nature of disabilities--it does not come from pre-conceived notions or from stereotypes portrayed in the media.

A barrier can be defined as anything: 

1) serving to obstruct passage or to maintain separation, such as a fence or gate;

2) that prevents or obstructs passage, access, or progress; or

3) that separates or hinders union.

Listing of all accessibility information

Sacramental Information

Guidelines for Sacraments for Persons with Disabilities from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Lift Every Voice: Race, Disability, and Equality in the Arts

Click here to watch this powerful conversation. Moderator Aaron Gabriel and panelists Kymani Queen, Michael Wolfe, and Naa Mensah, all Twin Cities artists and educators, shared their experiences producing works that explore the intersections of race and disability.

Testimonial

"An usher helped me with the listening device. He had me feel the device until I found the little wheel and then he had me practice moving the volume wheel. He uses the device himself so he was a very good teacher, and checked with me after Mass to see how it worked. As it turned out, I heard Father Bauer very well when he read the gospel and gave his homily. I could also hear the various speakers in the pulpit."

How you can help:

Help us accommodate your special needs by letting us know what you require to worship freely and participate fully in community life at The Basilica.

Let us know whenever you encounter a barrier blocking or impeding your worship, service, learning, or community life so that we may address the situation you experienced.

How to get involved:

If you would like to participate in the work of the Access and Inclusion Ministry contact Janet Grove.

We are called by Christ to respond to the mental health needs of our faith community members.

Do you need someone to talk to?

If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health issue, we can put you in touch with someone who can help.

Contact Janet Grove.

The Mental Health Ministry recognizes that…

  • A person's religious faith and spirituality are part of the overall treatment and recovery process

  • Secrecy, shame, stigma, and denial are among the great problems surrounding mental illness

  • Mental illness causes great pain and anguish for the individual and the community

  • Education — of the person, the parish and our community — can alleviate some of this pain

The Basilica of Saint Mary Mental Health Ministry presents:

A Year of Mindful Activities to Cultivate and Strengthen Our Mental Health by focusing each month on one way to do this:

Check HERE to sign up and receive information.

Upcoming Mental Health Ministry events

Looking for a new way to pray? 

Prayer shawl ministers, experienced and novice, create beautiful shawls to bring warmth and comfort to people in many in life’s transitions. Prayers of blessing, (“May God’s grace be upon these shawls, warming comforting, enfolding and embracing…”) are with each shawl. 

How do I receive a Prayer Shawl?

If you or a loved one is experiencing a challenging time in your life, The Basilica community would like to support you through our Prayer Shawl Ministry.

Prayer Shawls can warm, comfort, enfold, and embrace you--creating a sacred place and a safe haven, for difficult times.

To request a Prayer Shawl, contact Wendy Caduff.

How do I make a Prayer Shawl?

  • If you are a seasoned crocheter or knitter or want to learn, join us!

  • Meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, 10:30am–12:00pm.

  • Join by calling Katie, 763.458.8679, or Jane, 763.479.1555.

Prayer Shawl ministry at home

Do you prefer to knit at home or can’t make it to our meetings?  We’re happy to drop off yarn and pick up finished shawls. Call Jane at 763.479.1555 for details.

Emmaus Homebound Communion Ministry

We know that sometimes, despite our deepest desires, we are unable to get to Mass anymore. Perhaps aging or disease has made it impossible for us to celebrate Mass with the faithful as we find movement restricted and independence more limited. Or perhaps we are recovering from surgery and need communion visits for a short duration of time. The Basilica assigns a Homebound Communion minister to visit people on a regular basis, to pray with them, and to bring the Body of Christ. 

Contact Wendy Caduff, 612.317.3474, to request this ministry for a Basilica parishioner.

Threshold: Merriam-Webster defines this as the means or place of entry; the place or point of beginning. 

We believe that as our loved ones near death, there is an opening to the Sacred.  Our parish offers a small group of singers from the Cathedral Choir willing to come into the home, hospital, assisted living facility, or hospice care setting to sing and pray.  The ministry is not a performance but rather the singers  come with gentle blessing to quiet fears, open hearts, and bring light to all who are present.  Praying with music is a particularly powerful way to help those gathered around a loved one’s side express love and begin to say good-bye. Singers are available to come at various times of the day, on weekdays or weekends.

The ministry is offered as a gift, thus there is no charge.  Please contact Wendy in the Caring Ministries office to arrange for this ministry when hospice begins, when a terminal illness is diagnosed, or when death draws near.