Dear Friends in Christ,
This upcoming Wednesday, February 11th is the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is also fittingly the World Day of the Sick.
And so on Wednesday at 7pm at SHJ (no 9am Mass or Holy Hour), we will celebrate this Marian Feast and after the General Intercessions, Fr. Bill Maloney and I will offer for those faithful who truly need it, the Sacrament of the Sick (further details below). We are delighted that our brothers and sisters from St. Mary's in Campbellford will be joining us!
We will also lay hands on those (with the relic of St. Bernadette) who want prayers for their health, but not the sacrament per se.
Please spread the word and in particularly invite anyone you know who is seriously sick, regardless of denomination, to attend and receive this powerful blessing.
- The gift of encounter,
- The shared mission of caring for the sick
- And the primacy of being driven by love for God in
encountering ourselves and others.
He writes, “I genuinely hope that our Christian lifestyle will always reflect this fraternal, ‘Samaritan’ spirit – one that is welcoming, courageous, committed and supportive, rooted in our union with God and our faith in Jesus Christ.” He continues, “Enkindled by this divine
love, we will surely be able to give of ourselves for the good of all who suffer, especially our brothers and sisters who are sick, elderly or afflicted.”
You don’t have to be physically sick to attend; everyone is welcome, especially those caregivers who are in need of prayer and God’s comfort. The Mother of God is often invoked as
Salus Infirmorum, Health of the Sick. Even if you can’t make it to Mass on Wednesday evening, then don’t forget all of the infirm and dying in our parish family when you say your Rosary. Let us surround the sick and the suffering of our parish with our most fervent
prayers.
Fr. Justin
PS - If you plan on receiving the Anointing of the Sick, this sacrament should if possible be received in the state of grace. If a person is incapacitated, the sacrament of Anointing also forgives sins, but if a person is capable of confessing he should confess properly and receive absolution before being anointed. So confessions will be heard on Wednesday from 5:45-6:45pm.