In 1992, Pope John Paul II instituted a new feast day for Roman
Catholics around the world. The Pontiff, who was suffering from
Parkinson’s disease, set aside a day each year as a
”
special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one’s
suffering.
”
In 1992, Pope John Paul II instituted a new feast day for Roman Catholics around the world. The Pontiff, who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, set aside a day each year as a “special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one’s suffering.” This year is the 18th annual World Day of the Sick, and Pope Benedict XVI has placed special emphasis on blessing and prayer for health care workers and caregivers in the home.
The date chosen for the World Day of the Sick was Feb. 11, the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, honoring a series of remarkable visions related by a poor, young French peasant named Bernadette Soubiroux. In 1858, she described a series of 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the hollow of a rock near her home in Southern France.
Four years later, the bishop of the diocese declared that people could be “justified in believing the reality of the apparitions,” and a basilica was built on that spot. Since then, increasingly larger churches have been built to serve the huge crowds drawn by the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. It has become the most visited Christian pilgrimage site in the world. The waters of the spring that Bernadette discovered are renowned for their healing powers, and containers of the water are taken everywhere to aid people suffering illnesses. Bernadette was declared a saint in 1933 due to the many miracles attributed to her.
Catholics in the Diocese of San Jose will have several opportunities to take part in special events observing the World Day of the Sick. Bishop Patrick McGrath will celebrate Mass and anoint the sick Saturday at 11 a.m. at Santa Teresa Catholic Church, 794 Calero Ave. All present will receive a special prayer card and holy water from Lourdes. Also in San Jose, a Mass of healing for the sick will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. John Vianney Church, 4600 Hyland Ave., followed by a reception.
South County Catholics will celebrate a Mass with anointing of the sick at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Morgan Hill’s St. Catherine Church, 17400 Peak Ave. The leadership of both St. Catherine and St. Mary Church in Gilroy decided it would be more convenient for the local sick and infirm parishioners to attend a service locally. Father Paul Mensah will be the main presider.
No doubt everyone has seen a movie or television show where a character is gravely ill, actually on the verge of death or already dead. Then a priest is summoned to hover over the body, administering the “Last Rites” or “Extreme Unction.” However, this practice is an outmoded understanding of Catholic theology.
Since Vatican II, the church has renamed this sacrament (an outward sign of divine grace) “the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick.” Based on a passage in the New Testament book of James, the emphasis is now on providing spiritual support for those suffering from physical, mental or spiritual illness in an attempt to bring them back to health.
“There are three elements of the sacrament: prayer, laying on of hands and anointing with holy oil,” said Jeanne Gaffney, pastoral associate at St. Catherine. “This can occur in a private home, hospital or in the church, as on Saturday. The priest may anoint caregivers of the patient as well, anyone affected by the illness. Holy Communion is often offered to all present who wish to receive.”
Some people are hesitant to summon a priest to the bedside, worried about scaring the patient. Gaffney cautions that people should not follow this mistaken practice of delaying the sacrament until death is very near or the patient has lost full possession of his faculties. If the patient has already died, all the priest can offer is a blessing for the corpse.
