Each year on February 11, the Catholic Church marks the World Day of the Sick. This is a time to offer prayers for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers. The Catholic Church marks this annual World Day on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The theme of this year’s observance is, “It is not good that man should be alone—Healing the Sick by Healing Relationships.” Each of us, says the Pope, came into the world because our parents welcomed us, and we were each “made for love” and are called to communion and fraternity. The best therapy for those who are ill, he adds, is to offer them our love and communion, despite the pace of our own frenetic lives. As the church marks the World Day of the Sick, CHABC encourages everyone to pray for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers.
Archbishop Miller, CSB will celebrate a Mass for World Day of the Sick on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. All are invited to attend.
St. Marks Parish - UBC will also mark the World Day of the Sick at all Masses on Sunday, February 11, 2024 (9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 4:30 p.m.) and prayers for the sick and for healthcare workers and families who support the sick will also be said at all Masses on Ash Wednesday (February 14, 2024 - 12:10 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.).
Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Vancouver will also mark the World Day of the Sick on Sunday, February 11, 2024. They will have the blessing of the sick at 11:30am Mass.
World Day of the Sick Resources
To care for the sick thus means above all to care for their relationships, all of them: with God, with others—family members, friends, healthcare workers—with creation and with themselves.
– Pope Francis
History
Instituted by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1992, the World Day of the Sick is celebrated annually on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes in honour of the Marian apparitions that were said to have been seen in and around Lourdes, France by St. Bernadette. These apparitions began on Feb. 11, 1858 and since then, many pilgrims and visitors have experienced healing at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. In 1991, Pope John Paul II was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and it is considered that his own illness was the catalyst for creating World Day of the Sick.
World Day of the Sick “is an opportunity to devote special attention to the sick and to those who provide them with assistance and care both in healthcare institutions and within families and communities. We think in particular of those who have suffered, and continue to suffer, the effects of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. To all, and especially to the poor and the marginalized, I express my spiritual closeness and assure them of the Church’s loving concern.” – Pope Francis
