• Those who are grieving the loss of a close family member or a friend through death or illness.
• Those who are experiencing the loss of a job, loss of mobility through deterioration of physical abilities and illness, loss of physical and/or financial independence.
• Those who find themselves as part of the "sandwich generation" — taking care of an elderly parent while at the same time caring for and raising their own children.
• Those who are going through the pain of divorce or separation in their marriage.
• Those who are coming to terms with the fact of surgery and a long term recovery period and need someone to talk to and share their worries, fears, and anxieties regarding the impact of this surgery.
• Those who are suffering from a terminal illness, (at home, in the hospital, or at a Hospice facility) and are facing the knowledge of knowing that their time is limited and realizing their need to discuss anxieties or fears to a confidential, objective, and a caring Stephen Minister.
• Those who are in a hospital or long term care facility and need a Christian friend with whom they can talk to, pray with, and with whom they can share favorite psalms or scripture from the Bible.
• Those who are experiencing a crisis related to pregnancy, childbirth, or abortion.
• The young mother or father who is feeling overwhelmed with the stress and responsibility of having a new baby in the house.
• Those who are having a crisis of faith and need a Christian friend to confide in and walk with.
• Those who have relocated or moved to the Boulder area and find themselves having difficulty connecting or establishing friendships.
• Those who are going to be relocating to another city and have anxiety and stress due to the anticipated move from the Boulder area.

"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5

When you are assigned a Stephen Minister, you and your care giver will make arrangements for an initial visit to discuss, most importantly, our commitment to confidentiality, confidential supervision, a comfortable and private location to meet, and when to meet. Typically, a Stephen Minister and the care receiver meet approximately one hour each week. If both persons feel the match is right, comfortable and helpful, you will arrange for subsequent meetings to begin the relationship.

A Stephen Minister will be a caring and Christian friend who listens, prays and walks with their care receiver through difficult times. First and foremost, Stephen Ministers are trained to be compassionate listeners, not advice givers. They focus on the events and circumstances that are the cause of their care receivers’ pain, help them put it in words, and help them find their own possible solutions and desired changes that can have a positive impact on their lives. Sharing other people’s difficult times and helping them face their challenges and pain, listening to them, reassuring them that they have been heard, and praying for them and with them is a privilege. Stephen Ministers are committed to building a relationship that is full of faith, Christ-centered, and trustworthy.

Stephen Ministers are trained lay people to assist the Pastor and the parish through providing confidential, one-to-one Christian care to adult individuals in Sacred Heart of Mary and the community who may be experiencing a variety of challenging or painful situations in their lives. Men are assigned to give care to only men and women will only work with women in the caring relationship.

You can depend on a Stephen Minister, place your trust in them and know that they will keep anything you say confidential, but unlike a friendship, Stephen Ministers focus on the care receiver's problem and issues and don't share their own problems except when they may shed some light on the care receiver's situation. The relationship is purposeful, objective, and more formal and comes to an end when the care receiver no longer needs a Stephen Minister. The Stephen Minister always relies on God to help direct their actions and views the relationship as based on grace and the influence of the Holy Spirit and prayer working in the lives of the care receivers, while not forcing prayers or scripture into the relationship.

The Stephen Ministry was begun in 1975 by Kenneth Hauk and its central administration is in St. Louis, Missouri. Over 9,000 congregations representing 100 Christian denominations have had Stephen Ministries in their churches in all the states and many other countries. More than a million people have been cared for by Stephen Ministers since its founding, and more than 450,000 people have been trained as Stephen Ministers in their churches.

Volunteering to become a Stephen Minister is easy. The hope is that each man or women considers this ministry after careful thought and prayerful reflection.

There are two ways to volunteer to become a Stephen Minister:

• A phone call to the Stephen Ministry line @ 303-499-8989 ex.253 Your call will be returned within 24 hours. Or call directly to the training coordinator @ 303-255-7154.


• Time and Talent Sunday, in the fall of each year, offers information about the Ministry with representatives there to talk to you briefly. A "sign up" sheet will be available to you.

Two interviews will be necessary before training begins.

• The first is with the training coordinator


• The second is with all Stephen leaders present.

Training consists of 50 plus hours, that begin in January and end in April or early May. The class takes place on a Mon. or Tues. evening of every week from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Saturday mornings are sometimes used in order to complete the program by the end of April.

Since this is a Christian Care Ministry, representing Sacred Heart of Mary community, it is important that a candidate be a Catholic in good standing and a member of this community of believers.

Our ministry however, reaches out to people of all faiths and welcomes them with concern and prayer during their time of crisis or while in need of spiritual support.