An answered prayer

Though it can’t quite compare to the quest for the Holy Grail, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been searching for a local site to establish a Catholic nursing home for 50 years.

The hunt finally ended in June with the acquisition of Methodist Hospital Nursing Center.

Though the nursing home at 2509 S. Fourth St. actually falls within the boundaries of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, it will be renamed St. Monica Manor when the archdiocese officially takes over in September.

The name pays homage to Monsignor Aloysius F. Farrell, the former pastor of St. Monica Parish, who originated the idea for a Catholic nursing home in South Philly in the 1950s.

Farrell identified frail and elderly parishioners as having the greatest need for faith-based care, and began an extensive, generations-long search for a nursing-home site.

According to the archdiocese, both Farrell and his aunt, Mary Townshend, left money in their respective wills to fund the construction of a Catholic nursing home. However, it was difficult to find a site that satisfied the Church’s needs without rankling longtime residents.

Recent unsuccessful attempts to buy existing properties or build new ones in St. Monica and Stella Maris parishes have been typical of the setbacks, said the Rev. Joseph A. Tracy, secretary for the archdiocese’s Catholic Human Services.

"We’re called to be where the needs are, but we’ve never been able to get a foothold in this area," Tracy said. "When we actually weren’t looking for it, this opportunity came along."

The archdiocese became aware of the possible availability of the Methodist center in 2003, as Methodist Hospital began merging with St. Agnes Medical Center.

In the spring, the hospitals made their consolidation official, as Methodist remained a community hospital and St. Agnes converted to a long-term care facility.

On June 30, Catholic Health Care Services purchased the 180-bed nursing facility from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for $2.8 million.

Little will change when the archdiocese formally takes over the nursing home next month, Tracy said.

All the current employees will be retained, as will all of the elderly residents, regardless of their religious beliefs.

"It’s open to anyone. Though we seek to establish a Catholic identity at the home, we will focus on end-of-life care, giving people time with their families and helping them make the transition into the next life," Tracy explained.

Although the archdiocese is considering some exterior renovations to the home, there are no plans to add a chapel to the building or to expand it to include more rooms, Tracy said, citing state regulations.

He added that the high occupancy rate of the home has the archdiocese seeking alternatives to care for more patients, such as the home-care services that 25 elderly St. Monica’s parishioners have received since 2003 through an allocation of the Farrell-Townshend trust.

Applicants for the care — which usually consists of help around the house, or with chores and cooking — must be approved by St. Monica pastor Rev. Joseph J. Kelley, who in turn contacts Catholic Social Services.

"The type of people we assist aren’t particularly bad off. They just need a little extra help to get going each day," Tracy said. "But if it weren’t for our care, they would need to be in nursing homes."

While the archdiocese does not have funds available to offer in-home care to residents in other parishes, a senior center in St. Charles Borromeo Parish at 1941 Christian St. serves 60 to 70 residents a day, the secretary said.

Tracy said the archdiocese hopes to meet another need by assigning a staff priest at St. Monica Manor, although the current priest shortage will determine whether or not that is possible.

Officials also will assess how the home was being fiscally operated and may train the employees "in our system," he said.

But the archdiocese’s main focus will be reaching out to longtime parishioners in need.

"We’re in an aging neighborhood with a lot of aging Catholics," Tracy said. "We want to be able to reach as many of them as we can."