2018 World Day of the Sick
Friday, February 9, 2018The 26th World Day of the Sick will be celebrated on 11 February 2018, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Holy Father’s Message is entitled Mater Ecclesiae: “Behold, your son… Behold, your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:26-27). In his Message, Pope Francis recalls that “Health care ministry will always be a necessary and fundamental task, to be carried out with renewed enthusiasm by all, from parish communities to the most largest healthcare institutions. We cannot forget the tender love and perseverance of many families in caring for their chronically sick or severely disabled children, parents and relatives. The care given within families is an extraordinary witness of love for the human person; it needs to be fittingly acknowledged and supported by suitable policies. Doctors and nurses, priests, consecrated men and women, volunteers, families and all those who care for the sick, take part in this ecclesial mission.”
Message of the Holy Father
Link to a text on the World Day of the Sick (PDF) by Dr. Moira McQueen of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute