The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-10-05
VISITATION OF THE
DEPENDENT SICK

DEPENDENT SICK
Paper Written by Miss Rosa Kelly,
Chairman of the Hospital Committee
of the Guild of Catholic Women of
st. Paul and Read at the National
Conference of Catholic Charities
Held at Washington, D. c., septem-
Der 1925.
The Guild of Catholic Women was
organized in ST. Paul, December 5,
1906, by twenty-five representative
Catholic women. In these six brief
years it has grown to large proper
tons, it's present membership being
over eight hundred We are largely
indebted to our Bishops and clergy,
who have blessed and encouraged our
every movement and each new endeav-
or. The Rev. Father Donahoe, our
spiritual adviser, is ever ready to as
sist both spiritually and financially in
our work.
In asking me to prepare this paper
on "The Visitation of the Dependent
Sick 1, have been honored by our
President, Mrs. McFadden, under
whose able leadership our Guild has so
fiourished. 1t is a work very dear to
my heart.
Next to being the mother of men,
woman's true place is in ministering
to the sick, whether of mind or body.
We are not all born nurses, but as the
baby's instinct is to care for her
broken doll, so ours is to strive, as
best we may, in serving helpless hui
mainly,
Our Guild does this work of visiting
the sick, in systematic, far-reaching
manner. Each parish has chairman,
to whom all cases needing relief are
reported. The pastor of the parish is
of great assistance, giving advice and
any knowledge he may have regarding
the families mentioned. The parish
chairman investigates and if sickness
is found in the home she acts directly
and notifies the chairman of the Hos
pital Committee. She, or one of the
committee, goes at once and attends
to procuring physicians and nurse if
need be. If the case is a hospital one
| Surgical or contagious) arrangements
must be made at the hospital select
ed; the patient entered, visited if a
surgical case, and looked after during
the stay at the hospital, and, also
through convalescence at home - a
very trying period, especially for the
poor. The proper care. medicine and
nourishment must be seen to, else all
our efforts are in vain.
We have had excellent treatment
and cooperation, at the hands of our
city government The Board of Con-
troll, the City Physician, City Hospital,
Wilder Charity, Associated Charities
and Free Dispensary-one and all
recognize the Guild and honor any
order from us.
Our Committee has a pass to all the
Hospitals, and wear the Guild badge.
We distribute Catholic papers and
magazines each week, kindly donated
by The Catholic Bulletin and Der
Wanderer.
I wish to lay special stress on the
organized, systematic visitation of the
sick in their homes, by physicians, by
nurses and by visitors. In st. Paul we
have had special assistance from a
number Of Catholic physicians, whose
services are given without charge,
through the Guild, to the needy sick.
Our Catholic hospital-St. Joseph's-
makes very low rates for our patients,
and is most generous with it's visiting
nurses, whose services for an hour or
two each day are given patients in
their homes, as is also the case with
the Wilder Charity nurses.
There are many poor among us, and
often much sickness. In numerous
cases the very air they breathe brings
contagion. By force of circumstances
majority of the poor live in small
houses, or worse (if they could be)
in crowded tenements.
Right here wish to emphasize the
fact that "a mans home is his castle,
be it ever so lowly. There is no ex-
cuse for that sort of charity worker
who, in the name of the greatest Of
virtues, literally knocks down mans
door in order to enter his house to find
if a worthy case lies within. This
matter of Investigation, to try and
separate the worthy from the I'M
worthy, must be gone about in ra-
tional and kindly manner.
Would you not scatter crumbs to the
fallen sparrow and bind up his broken
wing, even though you suspect him to
be thief, marauder amongst his
kind, one living on another's bounty?
OF much more consequence are these
poor mortals. No one is unworthy till