By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer
For Marilyn McNeill, her work as a registered nurse is as much about caring for a person’s spiritual well-being as it is their physical needs.
A parishioner of St. Lawrence Church, she has been selected as the 2018 Norton Healthcare Faith Community Nurse of the Year. The award, presented annually by Norton Faith & Health Ministries, honors a nurse who serves a faith community as a “role model in promoting the mind, body and spiritual health of people in their faith community and neighborhood,” a news release from Norton said.
In a letter of nomination, McNeill was described as someone who will do whatever is needed and always gives credit to God.
“We are all instruments,” McNeill said during an interview earlier this week. “That’s why this is not about me. When we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist, Christ becomes part of us. When we leave Mass, we leave to become Christ in the world,” she said.
McNeill’s career in nursing spans four decades. In that time, she said, “I’ve learned … it’s not just about helping people get better but it’s also about assisting families” and being there for them.
She created St. Lawrence’s parish nursing program shortly after she joined the parish in 2004.
As a volunteer, she devotes countless hours to coordinating health and wellness initiatives at St. Lawrence. Among those initiatives are three blood drives held each year and frequent blood pressure screenings after Mass. And she coordinates opportunities for parishioners to receive flu vaccines.
McNeill also coordinates a yearly health fair at St. Lawrence. About a dozen nurses minister alongside McNeill at the parish in southwest Louisville.
In her professional life, McNeill teaches nursing courses at Jefferson Community and Technical College.
Overall, she said she gains “so much more than I give.”
Visibly moved, with tears welling in her eyes, McNeill explained:
“What I love about teaching is that I give not only to my own patients but to their patients as well. I have a plaque in my office that reads: ‘Nothing the heart gives is gone; it’s kept in the hearts of others.’ I feel like this is my life’s legacy,” she said.
The health ministry at St. Lawrence and other Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville receive support from Norton Healthcare’s Faith & Health Ministry Office. A faith community nurse, such as McNeill, must be a registered nurse, whose license is active and who serves in a leadership role in the faith community. Norton provides training and resources, such as educational programs, assistance in planning health fairs and networking opportunities.
Carol Fout-Zignani, director of Norton Faith & Health Ministries, said the hospital honors these nurses in recognition of Norton’s history with faith communities. According to Norton, its hospitals have roots in the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church. Norton Audubon Hospital was originally St. Joseph Infirmary.
It’s also important, she said, to recognize these faith community nurses who, by and large, selflessly donate their time.
The ministry “gives nurses the opportunity to reach beyond the hospital and be in the community. They are taking care of the health of their congregation.”
“The church is a place of trust. People may be afraid to go to the doctor or hospital, but the church is a place of safety both of spirit and of health. That’s why the work these people are doing in parishes is so important,” she said.
Fout-Zignani said McNeill was an ideal candidate for the honor because she “exudes enthusiasm even after all the years she has done this.”
“She has a true servant heart,” Fout-Zignani said
McNeill’s ministry at St. Lawrence extends beyond healthcare. She serves as a sacristan, extraordinary minister of holy Communion and as a lector. She also sings in the choir and even assists with technology needs from time to time.
Patrick Hughes, a fellow parishioner and the director of music at St. Lawrence, nominated McNeill for the Norton award. In his nomination letter, Hughes described McNeill as a “true asset” to the community of St. Lawrence.
“She can always be counted on to do whatever it takes to keep our faith community happy and healthy,” Hughes said.
Hughes added that McNeill is “truly humble and always gives any credit/kudos to God, referring to herself only as one of God’s servants.”
McNeill said she was humbled to be considered for the award and said it’s just part of who she is to give to others. Each person, she said, has God-given gifts to use for the greater good.
“What’s important about stewardship is that we give what we can, we do what we can because we don’t always have money to donate to the church, especially single parents like me,” she said. “But I give everything I can because I feel God has blessed me in so many ways.”
McNeill has two adult children, Carol Mace and Charles Crenshaw and a daughter, Mary, who is in college.
Five other community nurses were nominated for the award, including four others from Catholic parishes. They are: Debbie Harper, Holy Trinity Church; DeShonda Lockhart, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church; Shirley Parker, St. Augustine Church; Julie Stuart, Epiphany Church; and Deborah Scruggs, Covenant of Faith Church.
