A calling within a calling: St. Joseph Villa seeks to welcome more volunteers

Friday, Sep. 23, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY — At 87 years old, Dorris Poirier dedicates a good part of her day volunteering for her fellow residents at St. Joseph Villa.

Originally from Massachusetts, Poirier arrived in Utah with two babies and another little one on the way. She was a St. Olaf parishioner before she became a resident at the villa.

Serving and ministering have always been a big part of her life.

When she arrived at the villa, she served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, but as the number of volunteers at the villa has shrunk, Poirier now sets up the chapel for the daily Mass, cleans all the dishes and materials for Communion, fills and distributes glasses of water for those who may need it during the Mass, and does whatever she can to facilitate the other residents.

“Some people have left and there’s not many people that volunteer anymore. For example, we used to have a lot of people that helped bringing communion to the people in their rooms,” but that number has dwindled, Poirier said.

Volunteering is important because “everyone was put in this earth to help each other and to be faithful servants,” said Poirier, adding that when someone volunteers at the villa it makes the residents there feel like they are cared for

The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word founded the Villa in 1947; the facility was transferred to the non-profit group CHRISTUS in 1994 and in 2011 it was sold to the for-profit group Ensign. With the sale, the handful of sisters who lived in Salt Lake City moved to their mother house in Texas.

Father David Trujillo recently was appointed chaplain at the villa.

With the help of Poirier and seven other volunteers Fr. Trujillo strives to maintain the best Catholic environment possible for the sake of the faithful.

“When it comes to change, some people need the courage to change and sometimes they are scared. “Courage is not the absence of fear, but having fear yet moving forward. That’s what we do here, we move forward with courage,” said Fr. Trujillo, who urges members of the diocese to volunteer at the villa.

“The foundation of volunteering is sharing that love that you have within with others. I teach children and parents the importance of teaching their children to share, because what you are actually doing is not only teaching them to share their stuff, you are also teaching them how to love,” said Fr. Trujillo.

Volunteering at the villa is not hard but does requires commitment, he said.

“When you give someone your time, when you give away something that you value, what you’re doing is giving away part of your self-esteem, what you love when you give that and share that with another person. … There is a big fulfillment of giving back,” said Fr. Trujillo.

He is grateful for the volunteers who on a daily basis and on Sundays treat the residents with dignity and respect, he said, and he appreciates that they are reliable and enjoy their ministry.

 “There is a fulfillment that they get back and that is love; that is the Holy Spirit that works in them. This community holds a profound understanding of the Holy Spirit – what God wants you to do. A mission, a calling here at the villa, is a calling within a calling.”

Volunteering at the villa can provide Catholic high school students with an opportunity to fulfill their service hours, Fr. Trujillo said.

 “This is the perfect opportunity for the parent and the child to come together and learn,” he said. “When they come here as a parent and child, what happens is that there is a bonding that happens through service. That bonding enhances their relationship, and their presence here among the people enhances life here at the villa. It is a win/win situation.”

Typically, volunteers arrive at the villa around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday and receive a short briefing of what they will do that day. Each volunteer is assigned one or two residents to visit and help get to the 11:30 a.m. Mass. They celebrate Mass together and afterward escort them to the dining room and lunch with them.  

“We need care, we need people of faith that want to walk that road with someone else and heal them and learn while sharing,” said Fr. Trujillo.

To volunteer or for information, contact Fr. Trujillo at 801-487-7557 ext. 3033.