‘He plays the cards he’s been dealt’: A priest confronts Alzheimer’s

  Conceived in the Azore Islands and raised among the Portuguese farming community in Ontario, Fr. Vieira takes great comfort in this cultural touchstone. It is also helping him adjust to a daunting new chapter in his life: living with Alzheimer’s disease.

He had led St. Elizabeth Ann Seton as pastor from 2008 until June, when it was announced in a letter from Bishop Gerald Barnes that Fr. Vieira would be retiring from active ministry to address health concerns related to his early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis. He is 57 years old.

“I count Father John as a close brother and friend and will keep him close in my prayers,” Bishop Barnes wrote in the letter, read at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Masses June 9-10. “Let us offer compassionate prayers for all those who suffer from Alzheimer’s condition and continue to support their families and caregivers.”

Fr. Vieira’s diagnosis sheds light on emerging efforts in the Church to address Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases that affect elderly persons and their families. Bishop Richard Garcia of the Diocese of Monterey passed away on July 11 from complications related to Alzheimer’s.

On October 3, the Diocese will offer “The What and How of Alzheimer’s Disease,” a five-hour workshop to provide basic information on memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s, and guidance on how to minister to those affected by it.

While St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioners and Fr. Vieira’s brother priests throughout the Diocese were surprised and saddened by the announcement of his diagnosis, Vieira, himself, has adopted a remarkably simple and even upbeat response to his health challenge.

“Things happen. You have to live with it,” he says. “You have to keep on truckin’, doing the things you can do.”

Read more. Pray for him.