A Mass for health care workers will be celebrated on Sunday, Oct. 20, at Sacred Heart Chapel in St. Joseph. The Mass will bless the healing work of employees of hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. (See below for more details.)
In light of the upcoming Mass, The Central Minnesota Catholic interviewed Erik Rivers, an Army-trained physician assistant, who talks about his work as a health care professional as it relates to his faith. Rivers is a parishioner of St. Paul Church in Sauk Centre, part of the One in Faith Area Catholic Community.
Q: What drew you to work in healthcare?
A: Upon graduation, I considered working for the federal government in 1989. Then my father died from a missed abdominal aneurysm. Instead of going to Washington, D.C., I began pre-med at the University of Minnesota and then continued with graduate studies in toxicology.
I lived for a number of years in the Twin Cities. While a student, I had the opportunity to become a physician assistant through the Minnesota Army National Guard. I saw active duty in Iraq in 2006-2007 and have completed over 22 years in the National Guard and the U.S. Army.
Q: How does your faith connect with your work?
A: With emergency room experience for 17 years, I’ve seen how autocratic corporate medical care seemed to suffocate medical excellence. Prayerfully, I decided to start my own clinic with a fellow Catholic colleague, Dr. Jerry Joyce. On Aug. 1, 2022, we opened St. Michael Health in Sauk Centre to provide authentically Catholic Christian wellness care.
Q: What makes St. Michael Health unique to other clinics?
A: We respect the timeless wisdom of the Bible and Catholic Church teaching which consistently offers care from the womb to the tomb. A crucifix or an icon is displayed in every room and Scripture passages are on our walls. The public of all faiths have responded enthusiastically to medicine that is Christian in philosophy.
Holistic care includes the caring for the mind and the spirit as well as the body. People are hungry for the warmth and truth of Christian charity that is so often discarded when money comes before the patient. We don’t use insurance but accept Health Saving Account cards and cash in order to keep our costs down for all. Receipts are provided.
In our small, one-story brick clinic building, St. Michael Health offers care from infants to centenarians — we treat infections, repair lacerations, perform EKGs and ultrasound. We have some lab services and send patients out to imaging centers for x-rays, CT scans and MRIs.
Mass for Health Care Workers
“The diocese has a longstanding tradition of honoring all those working in various areas of health care,” said Dominican Sister Jeanne Wiest, director of liturgy for the St. Cloud Diocese. “That includes everyone that brings comfort to others, from those performing surgeries to those making sure there are clean sheets on the beds to those serving in nursing homes and mental health clinics and every area of wellness. Health care has been a bedrock in this area and the roots run deep.”
Bethany Tollefson, faith community nurse and health ministries coordinator at CentraCare, said it is very helpful to bring patients, co-workers and families to God in prayer.
“Who understands better than the Great Physician?” Tollefson said. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of trouble and health care workers can find comfort and strength from the God who is more compassionate, loving and faithful than we can even imagine. Through prayer, we find encouragement and peace, even when the situation seems overwhelming. God is faithful to answer us and meet us in our most vulnerable moments.”
IF YOU GO:
When: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 20
Where: St. Benedict’s Monastery Sacred Heart Chapel in St. Joseph.
A reception in the Gathering Space will follow Mass.
For more information: Call the Office of Worship, 320-255-9068.