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Sister Kathy Stuttgen offers listening ear to the elderly, lonely

Sister Kathy Stuttgen's official title is "minister to the elderly," but in reality she fills countless positions. "My motto is, 'Be where you have to be when you have to be there,'" she says, as she sits beside Alpha Stone, one of the many elderly who have benefited from Sister Kathy's giving nature.

Sister Kathy Stuttgen gives a blessing to Leona Bashaw as Leona's poodle, Brandy, looks on.

"She really perks me up, I'll tell you," explains Alpha. "She brings a lot of joy to me. I just love to see her walk in the door."

The two talk about people they know, and reminisce about the time when Sister Kathy helped Alpha downsize from a house to the apartment where she currently lives. "She did everything for me," says Alpha. "I sit back and think sometimes, 'how did I ever do that without Sister Kathy?'"

It's all in a day's work for Sister Kathy, who is a part-time employee at Villa St. Joseph, an FSPA skilled nursing facility, and at Mary Mother of the Church Parish. She regularly visits with an estimated 200 people, including nursing home residents, people living in high rises and homes, and FSPA who live at the Villa St. Joseph. "I just feel it's a privilege to be able to do this," she says.

What she does is difficult to define, however, and its importance is impossible to measure. She's sometimes a social worker, visiting the elderly and shut-ins, sometimes helping them with home repairs, or assessing health situations. She's a certified chaplain in pastoral care, administering Communion to people in their homes once a month. She helps the needy, matching food surpluses and medical equipment with people who can use them. She's an administrator, maintaining the Power of Attorney information for the residents of the Villa St. Joseph, while also ministering to the staff and the residents there, as needed. She's a support group organizer, bringing together people with the shared experience of the loss of a spouse. All told, she fills many important roles, but her most important responsibility, she says, is just listening.

"Even though there are a lot of people around in my position, I'm a person who has time to sit and visit. I listen to people's concerns," explains Sister Kathy. "Sometimes it's not a big deal, but to them it's a big deal." She affectionately refers to the people she visits as "little ladies" and "little guys," when in reality, most of them are long past retirement age. It's a largely forgotten population, and often a lonely one. Sister Kathy takes time to diffuse that loneliness.

"Like my Communion rounds that I do," she says, "I had as many as 20 people on my list to go and see. If you don't have time to spend with them, it's nice that you brought them Communion, but what they really want is a visit, someone to come and talk to them.

Sister Kathy Stuttgen

"For me it's a give and take thing, and for me it's using what God gave me," she says humbly. "And part of the reason I can do what I'm doing is the fact that I have a simple lifestyle and I don't get too cranked up about too much. I'm just who I am. What you see is what you get."

Next, she travels to Leona Bashaw's home on the south side of La Crosse. Leona has been recovering from a fall, spending a lot of time home alone. Because Leona has limited means, Sister Kathy carries in a case of Ensure nutritional supplement, a donation left at the St. Clare Health Mission. She knows Leona will put it to good use.

Sister Kathy is greeted warmly by both Leona and her poodle, Brandy, who announces the arrival with a spirited dance. Leona, who will turn 96 in March, sits on an afghan-draped couch while Brandy rests his head on her leg. Leona smiles brightly while talking to Sister Kathy; clearly, she loves these visits. "She makes me feel good, makes me feel important you know," she explains.

Sister Kathy chimes in, "You are!"

"It's a good thing there are people to tell me that," Leona laughs. "When anybody makes a fuss about me, that makes me feel good. That's why I like my dog, because he makes me feel great. I'm pretty special to him."
Before she leaves, Sister Kathy gives Leona a blessing, touching her fingertips to Leona's forehead as she murmurs comforting words. Leona bows her head, leaning forward slightly to absorb the only direct human contact she may experience that day.

"When I think about these people," says Sister Kathy, "they sit in their house day after day after day. I just hope that I can make their day a little better, a little brighter. Somebody cares . . . somebody cares enough to come."

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