Part-time employee has full-time responsibility

For a 20-hour a week employee, Mary Stola has some far-reaching responsibilities.

"My approach involves the mind, body and spirit," said Stola. "My job is to see if anything is out of sync."

The soft-spoken woman who still carries a hint of her Wisconsin roots in her voice will observe her first anniversary as the faith community nurse for St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva next month. She is the first to hold the position at the parish.

"My mission is to be a health educator, a health counselor and a referral source," Stola said when interviewed about her work.

Stola's duties include such routine tasks as checking blood pressures. But unlike a nurse working in a doctor's office, for example, spirituality is a part of all her work.

She may take a call from a parishioner in premature labor who wants to know if a priest will be available if the baby is born early.

She is working with teachers at St. Peter School to increase children's activities as a weapon in the war against childhood obesity. It is her way of helping to teach youngsters to honor their bodies as the temple of God.

She ministers to afflicted parishioners in their homes, checking for signs of physical and spiritual health.

Serving as inspiration:

Health promotion is also an important task.

"Mary not only educates us, she encourages us to take care of ourselves," said Rama Canney, communications coordinator for St. Peter's. "She's an inspiration."

Canney points out that Stola has added healthy alternative foods to the church's long-standing tradition of "doughnut Sunday" on the first Sunday of the month, when parishioners linger over pastries and coffee. She also uses the opportunity to check blood pressures and do other screenings.

Stola facilitated a program called "Rebuilding the Temple" that offered education on nutrition, exercise and time management to reduce stress.

She spear-headed a spiritual spa event for women that included massages.

And she writes a "Nurse Mary" column for the church bulletin that includes tips on promoting physical, mental and spiritual health.

Contract with Provena:

Stola is employed through Provena Mercy Medical Center which provides faith community nurses to six other area churches, and to the Ministers Alliance Health Network which serves the needs of African-American churches. The eight nurses in the program meet regularly.

"The needs of the churches differ," said Jolene LeRoy, parish nurse at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Aurora and the interim coordinator of the program. "But faith community nursing means intentionally taking care of the spirit. It's a blend of nursing and pastoral care. We serve as spiritual companions in the journey of life."

Journey to a job:

Stola became a registered nurse after completing a two-year course at the College of DuPage.

At age 35, she returned to school to earn her bachelor of nursing degree at Northern Illinois University.

She worked in a surgery center for 13 years.

"The work was fast-paced," she said. "There was no time to offer spiritual help. That's what I really missed.

"A year and a half ago, I didn't know that faith community nursing existed," Stola said. "I always wanted to treat the patient as a whole, and the whole thing sounded so wonderful I couldn't believe it. Just being able to pray with someone is so important.

"I feel that my life has been geared to this job."