Special Mass for World Day of the Sick will be celebrated at Oakdale parish Feb. 11

Pope St. John Paul II proposed the World Day of the Sick in 1985 and…

Special Mass for World Day of the Sick will be celebrated at Oakdale parish Feb. 11

Pope St. John Paul II proposed the World Day of the Sick in 1985 and wanted it to be held on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, said registered nurse Dianne Johnson in an interview on the “Practicing Catholic” radio program, along with the chaplain of the health care-focused Curatio Apostolate.  

The pope “knew instinctively that illness and suffering … pose questions that medicine can’t answer,” she said. “So, it always is thrilling for me to be praying with the sick and to be in presence with them in the same setting, at the same Mass, the holy Mass,” she said. 

Dianne Johnson

Dianne Johnson

Johnson, who worked as a registered nurse for 44 years, founded the Curatio Apostolate 21 years ago to help health care workers integrate their faith with their professional responsibilities. She and Father Andrew Jaspers, its chaplain, recently joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to discuss the Curatio Apostolate and this year’s World Day of the Sick Mass, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 11 at Transfiguration in Oakdale.  

Father Jaspers said Curatio helps nurses and other health care workers with the spiritual resources “to connect their work to Christ, and connect those they serve to Christ, so that we know that we’re an extension of Christ’s healing mercy, coming from the heart of Christ, the source of all love and affection, and so that we can do so in that difficult work, knowing that we have his support.”  

The poor and sick, “like St. Teresa of Calcutta said, have sometimes a distressing disguise,” Father Jaspers said. Curatio provides a spiritual foundation, formation and communion among mostly Catholic health care workers, he said. Father Jaspers also served with the Anointing Corps through the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as it served the faithful suffering from COVID-19. 

Archbishop Bernard Hebda will preside at the special Mass at Transfiguration. Following Mass, attendees may receive a blessing with holy water from Lourdes. And Father Jaspers will offer a reflection on “Finding Hope in the Sacred Heart.” 

This year’s World Day of the Sick Mass will also be livestreamed, enabling access to the homebound and those in nursing homes, Johnson said. Information and the livestream link are available at curatioapostolate.com, or by emailing [email protected] 

To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Feb. 3 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Feb. 4 and 2 p.m. Feb. 5.  

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Bishop-elect Michael Izen, who describes his call to the priesthood and preparation for his episcopal ordination and installation April 11 as the archdiocese’s new auxiliary bishop; and a reprised interview with Joe Pribyl, a Minnesota-based licensed marriage and family therapist, who describes Valentine’s Day as an opportunity for couples to focus on their relationship. 

Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show 

Tags: Catholic Mass, Curatio apostolate, World Day of the Sick

Category: Practicing Catholic