Services provided to poor, marginalized at stake pending legislative vote

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. – Edward Sita’s wife, Geneva, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease three years ago.

“We found it almost impossible to take care of Geneva,” Sita said of his wife, the mother of his three sons. “She was able to do some things on her own, but there were certain things that were getting worse and worse.”

As the disease began to progress, she began to lose her ability to communicate verbally, her cognitive abilities slowly began to fade, and she required more care than Sita could provide in their home. Sita and his family made the decision to move her to the skilled nursing facility at St. Joseph’s Senior Home in Woodbridge.

Not more than a year after his wife of over 59 years became a permanent resident of the Senior Home, Sita made the decision to himself move to the assisted living facility at St. Joseph’s Senior Home, a nonprofit Catholic healthcare community which has been operated by the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception since 1981.

Since March, Sita has resided at the Senior Home, often spending his days visiting his wife and involving himself in some of the many activities offered, including faith formation classes, daily Mass, praying the rosary, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, among the many non-faith-based activities also offered.

“One of the principal reasons I am here is because we have a religious organization who wants to care for us,” said Sita. “The folks here do so much and are completely giving of all that is possible to give, and that’s themselves. It’s hard to describe all the good things that are happening here.” 

But, St. Joseph’s Senior Home, along with all Catholic institutions in New Jersey, could face an untold amount of fines if pending legislation passes a vote scheduled for as early as Dec. 16. 

The legislation (S3804/A5508) that is now being considered in the New Jersey legislature eliminates the long-standing religious employers' exemption in the current law, essentially forcing religious organizations to pay for medications, including abortion causing drugs, sterilizations and other procedures which violate the fundamental Catholic belief that all life, from conception to natural death, is sacred.

According to a statement by Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, “passage of this measure would require our Catholic parishes, Catholic schools and agencies such as Catholic Charities to offer our employees comprehensive health benefits in violation of fundamental Catholic principles. Our religious freedom, which is a basic human right, is in jeopardy and we must speak out.”

The fines could cripple St. Joseph’s Senior Home and many other Catholic institutions like it, which provide necessary services to the poor, the frail elderly, the sick and the dying, and to immigrants and their families, all of whom could be at great risk pending the outcome of the vote.

“For many decades, the Catholic Church has been a strong advocate calling for comprehensive healthcare reform,” said Bishop Checchio. “Today, I along with my brother Bishops of New Jersey, continue to support universal and affordable healthcare with special attention to the poor and the marginalized. In fact, in 2018, our hospital, Saint Peter's in New Brunswick contributed $38 million in community benefits which included $16.7 million in charity care to people who are either uninsured or underinsured.”

“I urge all of the faithful to contact their state senators today and urge them to amend the proposed legislation, S3804/A5508 to retain the established religious employers' exemption which is contained in current law. Visit: https://njcatholic.org/faith-in-action to take action now,” said Bishop Checchio.

Sita, the 88-year-old from Staten Island, said if the legislation were to pass as written, it would put the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception and Catholic institutions in a “morally impossible situation.”

“I couldn’t even imagine it and I pray and I hope that doesn’t happen. The sisters will work as much as they can, but they can’t go past their vows,” said Sita. “They believe one thing religiously, and now someone wants to take that away. You think they’d have some religious freedom, but it’s not written there in that way.”

After having negative experiences with several other nursing and rehabilitation facilities, Sita said he was grateful for God’s intervention that led him to find St. Joseph’s Senior Home, and hopes nothing will jeopardize the home he has come to know and enjoy.

“These people dedicate their lives to the elderly, I know, I’m 88 years old,” said Sita. “It’s impossible to even imagine if we had to close down this place because of whatever may happen.” 

“If St. Joseph’s weren’t here,” said Sita, “it would be dramatically terrible.”

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