About Parish Nursing in the Diocese of Saint Cloud
Introduction to Parish Nursing | 
The parish nurse can contribute to the health and healing mission of Jesus as well as the mission of the Diocese of Saint Cloud: i.e. “Our mission is to be his heart of mercy, voice of hope and hands of justice.” |
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The Gospels are replete with examples of Jesus healing. Among the thirty-five examples of healing, the healings were of the body, the mind and the spirit. The Church has continued to carry on the healing mission of Jesus through the sacraments, medical missionaries, Catholic hospital systems, and a whole host of persons devoted to serving peoples’ health and healing needs.
Parish Nursing is the specialized practice of professional nursing that focuses on the intentional care of the spirit as part of the process of promoting wholistic health and preventing or minimizing illness in a faith community. It is a part of a broader outreach – health ministry. With parish nursing and a structured health ministry program, the parishioners find connectedness, encouragement, hope and love.
Parish Nurses function under specific professional standards and a scope of practice developed by the American Nurses Association and the Health Ministries Association. Parish Nurses believe that the spiritual dimension is central to their practice and involves and incorporates it in their following functions:
The International Parish Nurse Resource Center, located in St. Louis, Missouri, recommends the following registered nurse qualifications for a parish nurse: