Health Ministry

Parish Nursing

What is a parish nurse?

Parish nursing is a recognized specialty nursing practice that combines professional nursing and health ministry. Parish nursing emphasizes health and healing within a faith community. The philosophy of parish nursing embraces four major concepts: spiritual formation; professionalism; health and wholeness; and community, incorporating culture and diversity. (To learn more about parish nursing go to The International Parish Nurse Resource Center website www.parishnurses.org.)

Parish nursing is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition and the historic practice of professional nursing, and is consistent with the basic assumption that we care for self and others as an expression of God’s love. The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in collaboration with Columbia St. Mary’s Hospitals, Old St. Mary and Our Lady of Divine Providence parishes sponsors the services of a full-time parish nurse to meet the health and wellness needs of our community.

Parish nurses provide whole person care with an emphasis on disease prevention and spiritual care. The major roles of the parish nurse are integrator of faith and health, health educator, personal health counselor, referral agent, developer of support groups, trainer of volunteers and health advocate.

Meet our Parish Nurse, Teresa Flaherty

Teresa Flaherty, RN, BSN, Parish Nurse has been serving our communities as parish nurse since September of 1998. In May of 1986, Teresa earned her BS in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and worked for the next twelve years in medical-telemetry, cardiac, medical and surgical intensive care nursing units at St. Michael Hospital, Scottsdale Memorial Hospital-North and St. Mary’s Hospital-Milwaukee. Teresa has been an employee of Columbia St. Mary’s since September of 1989. Teresa completed Phase I of the Parish Nurse Preparation Program at Marquette University in August 1998 and Phase II of the preparation program in May of 1999. Teresa has received training from the Wisconsin Caregiver Alliance to offer Powerful Tools for Caregivers and from the Southeastern End-of-Life Coalition to counsel individuals and groups in completing advance directives. Currently, Teresa is completing a year-long course of study with CAPACITAR, Inc., a popular education approach to trauma healing.

You may also meet with Teresa for blood pressure monitoring and health consultation at any one of the following sites (schedule is subject to change).

Cathedral of St. John

• First Sunday of each month in the atrium after the 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. Masses

• Monday evenings (except the 5th Monday) at St. Vincent de Paul meetings from 5:15-6:00 p.m.

• Most Tuesdays (except the 2nd Tuesday) at the Open Door Café with outreach staff from St. Ben’s Clinic for the Homeless from 11:15-12:30 p.m.

Our Lady of Divine Providence
St. Casimir Church

• Saturday mornings (except the 5th Saturday) at the Riverwest food pantry during pantry hours

• Second Sunday of the month after the 9:30 and 11:30 Masses

St. Mary of Czestochowa Church

• Saturday preceeding the second Sunday of each month after the 4:00 p.m. Mass

Old St. Mary

• Third Sunday of the month after the 7:15, 9:00 and 11:30 a.m. Masses