Carrying Christ to Others: Jim Vlazny and the Ministry of Care at Our Lady of Perpetual Help

For more than 50 years, Jim Vlazny has called Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Glenview home. He and his wife settled in the community when Jim started work nearby, and they have been part of the parish ever since.

Jim’s Catholic roots run deep, from grammar school on Chicago’s South Side to Mendel Catholic High School and Loyola University Chicago, where he earned a degree in chemistry and met his wife. Faith remained central throughout his life, especially in times of struggle. "My dad died when I was going into eighth grade," he shared. "For a while, I felt lost. Mendel High School—the teachers, coaches, and students—helped me through. Football and my Catholic community meant a lot to me."

Over the years, Jim has witnessed remarkable growth at OLPH. Reflecting on this, he notes, “What stands out is the outreach. People helping people—that’s what a parish should be.” Jim’s path into the Minister of Care program began unexpectedly—through his own experience of illness. After retiring in 2012, he was diagnosed with cancer just months later, confronting years of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. While he underwent treatment, a Minister of Care would visit him in the hospital to bring Holy Communion.

“It was wonderful to have someone come who wasn’t there to poke or prod me, but simply to pray with me,” Jim said. “You can choose to feel sorry for yourself, or you can turn to God and say: help me, dear Lord, I need you.”

That experience inspired Jim to join the Ministry of Care himself once he recovered. “Retirement causes you to ask, ‘Who am I now? Where does the Lord want me?’” he said. “For me, this ministry became the answer.”

Today, Jim co-coordinates the program with Chaplain Rick Nash. Nash covers hospital and nursing home visits, while Jim tends to the homebound. “It’s wonderfully uplifting to bring Christ to people,” he reflected. “At first it was intimidating, but now I know this is what Jesus wants—be there for others and carry Him to them.”

Encounters with Christ

Jim describes the ministry as deeply humbling. "Going into someone’s home and seeing their face light up—it’s not me, it’s what I carry," he said.

Alongside moments of joy, Jim has also walked with parishioners through suffering. “Part of being a Minister of Care is that you see a lot of pain,” he explained. “But you also see spouses, children, and friends caring for others in incredible ways. That, too, is being Jesus for one another. I draw a lot of strength from it.”

Lessons in Faith and Family

Jim and his wife recently celebrated 60 years of marriage. He credits their journey to their shared faith. “I don’t know if we could have done it without our faith in God and each other,” he said.

That same faith continues to inspire him as a grandfather. His granddaughter got married recently, and he shared some advice: take turns. Sometimes, it’s your turn to be patient and loving, even if you’re right. Other times, it’s your partner’s turn. “You have to take turns,” he reminded her.

Jim also draws inspiration from his wife’s resilience. She has been legally blind for nearly five decades yet continues to adapt without complaint. “She is a wonderful role model for me,” Jim said. “Her example shows me that when you suffer, you can either stew in anger or you can say, ‘Here I am, Lord. Help me.’ I thank God for her every day.”

Teaching and Witnessing

In addition to his own ministry, Jim helps train new Ministers of Care through a parish formation program. Over two Saturdays, participants learn about the Eucharist, prayer, suffering, and the practical aspects of bringing Communion to the sick and homebound. From the start, he tells people: this is not about you—it’s about Christ and the people you are serving. Carrying Christ to others is both humbling and uplifting.

Jim is even grateful for the cancer that once threatened his life. “I don’t wish it on anyone, but it changed me,” he said. “I realized I couldn’t do it myself. I had to put everything in God’s hands. That suffering deepened my faith.”

Jim sums up his ministry simply: "When I walk into a home and someone smiles because Christ has entered with me, I know I am exactly where the Lord wants me."