Fr. Elmar Mauer, O.M.I.
r. Elmar Mauer, O.M.I., has always done
humble work. In his own words, he never did anything
“flashy.” He always just wanted to work with
people. He wanted to interact with them in a direct
spiritual way.
Fr. Elmar is the chaplain at St. Elizabeth’s
Hospital in Belleville, IL. There, he holds mass and attends to
the patients, offering them counsel, reconciliation, and
anointing of the sick. For five hours a day, seeing
between 25 and 30 patients, Fr. Elmar connects to the spiritual
needs of the hospital’s residents.
“The challenge is first to assess
where they are spiritually,” Fr. Elmar said.
“I try to see where they stand with God and with
the church.”
Once Fr. Elmar understands how each person
stands in his or her faith, he treats them accordingly.
“Doctors treat the body,” he
said. “I try to help them strengthen or renew their
relationship to God. It is so important to listen, to
touch, to be a freeing presence for them.”
Fr. Elmar tries to practice the virtues of
caring and compassion for the people he sees every day.
“People in a hospital are
vulnerable,” he said. “They are there because
something in their bodies needs treatment. They come with
such wounded-ness that to give them any bit of hope can really
mean a lot.”
Giving people hope was a skill Fr. Elmar
learned during his time in the Philippines teaching English.
On his island, he was the only priest. There
weren’t any other priests or brothers there with him to
help him run the school. Fr. Elmar found the challenge
rewarding.
“I wouldn’t trade my year in
the Philippines for anything,” he said. “I am
so grateful for that time because I learned how to have
compassion and care for people who had nothing or
little-to-nothing.”
Upon returning to the United States, Fr.
Elmar was called to work in Duluth and St. Paul, Mn. He was
pleased that both parishes had schools. He loved to work
with young people.
