Catholic Eldercare

11/13/2025

We had a wonderful celebration honoring all the veterans in our community! Thank you to all of the brave men and women who proudly served our country!

10/27/2025

We had so much fun seeing everyone at our Trick or Treat event this year! Thank you to everyone who came and shared their little ones with our community!

10/23/2025

Today, we're happy to introduce you to the heartbeat of our pastoral care department, Linda, who has been our Liturgical Coordinator for 9 years. Linda grew up in Parma, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. She began organ lessons in second grade, added clarinet in sixth grade and became a pianist when the high school choir needed one. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Bowling Green State University, she came to Minnesota in 1994 as an intern in music and liturgy at the University of Minnesota Newman Center, working with church music composer Tom Conry. Linda earned her Master of Pastoral Studies degree from Loyola University in Chicago. She and her husband, Mike, returned to Minnesota in 1997 and happily added "ope!" and "ya sure, you betcha" to their vocabulary. Through her internship at the U of M Newman Center, Linda discovered that her favorite sound is a singing assembly. This fueled her desire to learn more about Catholic liturgy and music and pursue work in the Church. When she started at Catholic Eldercare in 2016, Linda knew immediately that she had found her "home." The spirit of the residents and staff at Eldercare made her excited to come to work every day. Outside of her work at Catholic Eldercare, Linda is a dog training instructor at Twin Cities Obedience and Training Club (TCOTC). Linda and Mike are the proud "parents" of Danni, a 98-pound Great Pyrenees, who teaches them to live in the moment every day. Linda also enjoys spending time with Mike and riding her Quarter Horse mare, Fancy Pants. If Linda could have any superpower, it would be teleportation--no more driving!!

Linda is worth her weight in GOLD to our organization. Not only does she coordinate everything for all of our chapels--scheduling all priests, ministers, cantors, lectors, coordinating funerals, etc.-- she also created our in-house channel during COVID to create meaningful programming for our residents when everyone was in their rooms. No problem is unsolvable to Linda and we are so grateful to have her creative spirit and kind heart as part of our pastoral care team. Thank you for everything you do, Linda, we appreciate you so much!

10/22/2025

Today, we're thrilled to introduce you to the newest member of our Pastoral Care team, Nikki! She is a Yooper--born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She graduated from Northern Michigan University, Wheaton College in Illinois and Evangel University in Missouri. She has three kids and two cats. Nikki felt called to cross-cultural ministry when she was young and further developed when she lived in Kyrgyzstan and Türkiye. She has also ministered among college students in Michigan & Minnesota and thoroughly enjoys walking alongside people through life's transitions. Although she is new to our team, she has loved hearing people's stories and learning about different cultures and contexts. When she isn't working, she enjoys cross-stitching, reading, nature hikes, swimming in Lake Superior and saunas. If she could have one superpower, it would be to understand and speak all languages!

We are delighted to have you as part of the team, thank you for the love and support you offer our residents!

10/21/2025

Next up, we're excited to introduce you to Fr. Ivan who serves as our priest chaplain. He provides chaplain services at the Care Center and says weekly masses at all of our sites. Fr. Ivan was born and raised in Ukraine but has lived in the United States for several years. He is married and has two wonderful children who bring so much joy and laughter into their home. In addition to his work at Catholic Eldercare, Fr. Ivan also serves as the pastor at St. Constantine Ukranian Catholic Church. He has always felt a deep calling to accompany people in moments of vulnerability--bringing comfort, prayer and hope where they are most needed. "Working in spiritual care allows me to live my faith through compassion and presence." His favorite part of his role as priest chaplain is meeting people from all walks of life and witnessing how faith and love can bring peace and light even in the most difficult situations. Outside of work, Fr. Ivan enjoys fishing, spending time outdoors with his family and connecting with nature. If he could have any superpower, he would love the ability to bring peace and calm to people's hearts instantly, especially when they are anxious or in pain.

Fr. Ivan we are so grateful to have you as part of our team at Catholic Eldercare. Thank you for sharing your gentle, caring heart with all of our residents and staff. We appreciate you so much!

10/20/2025

Join us for our 2nd Annual Trick or Treat event at Catholic Eldercare! Our residents are so excited to see everyone's costumes and can't wait to pass out candy!

For questions, please reach out to our Life Enrichment Director, Kiran Dahlin.

10/20/2025

This week is Spiritual Care Week, an opportunity to highlight the exceptional work our pastoral care team provides to our residents and staff. Throughout the week, we'll be introducing you to various members of our Pastoral Care team so you can get to know them a little better!

First up is Chaplain Annie, the lead chaplain at the Care Center. Annie lives in East Bethel with her husband, 2 daughters and 10 animals. She grew up in Santa Rosa, California, but fell in love with Minnesota in 1992 and has been here ever since. She became interested in chaplaincy while attending Bethel University and developed a specific interest in working with the elderly because of her mom. She believes that God loves us all and, because of that, everyone has value and is worthy of love, no matter what. Her primary goal in her work is to ensure everyone in her care feels loved, cared for, seen and heard. When asked what the favorite part of her job is she said "I have a few favorite parts of my job. One is sitting with our residents, one on one. I love to hear their stories and provide space for them to be heard and seen. I also love being with our residents in our memory care because I never know when they are going to say or do something that makes me realize, 'Oh, there you are.' One of our ladies doesn't talk much anymore but she says the entire rosary with me every week and that is such a delight." In her spare time, Annie enjoys quilting, crocheting, cooking good food for her family, spending time with their dogs, going camping and hiking. She also loves getting lost in a good Korean Drama to unwind!

Our pastoral care team are true superheroes bringing the love of Jesus to our residents and creating meaningful connections for them in the last chapter of their lives. When asked what superpower she would pick if she had the chance, Annie said she would choose time travel. She would love to go back in time to share some more time with her mom and grandma, have them come over, have some coffee, and make cookies for the holidays with her and her girls.

Annie, thank you for the love and light you share with our residents and staff. We appreciate your tireless effort to take care of everyone's spiritual well-being.

10/17/2025

Wishing a belated Happy Bosses Day to all of our wonderful leaders at Catholic Eldercare! Thank you for your consistent, compassionate leadership, we appreciate you!

10/16/2025

This week’s music bingo theme was Movies & Musicals! Take a listen to our Music Therapy intern Emma as she leads our residents through a crowd favorite, “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music!

09/30/2025

Earlier this month, we hosted our Age Well Resource Fair, a day dedicated to music, food, wellness, relaxation, connection, and community! From free blood pressure screenings and hand massages to guided tours of our newest spaces, it was a wonderful celebration with our community. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating aging well—together! 💛

09/03/2025

Join us tomorrow!

Now THIS is a fall fair you won’t want to miss! Get on the horn and tell your friends, families and neighbors… so we can all learn to age well together.

It’s September 4th, 11:30 AM–1:30 PM at RiverVillage East at 2919 Randolph St. NE, Minneapolis — and it’s stacked with 20+ senior vendors, food, fun, music, hand massages, blood pressure checks… and so much more.

Remember to bring a canned good for a chance to win a $50 gift card, too.
All are welcome. Spread the word and we’ll see you there.
catholiceldercare.org

08/29/2025

Catholic Eldercare residents had a blast celebrating the end of summer with their annual “Great Eldercare Get Together!” They had fair favorite foods & games, listened to live music at the Grand Stand and made memories in the Photo Booth!