Tuesday 11 February is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Mass will be celebrated at Notre Dame de Lourdes, instead of at Our Lady of Peace, on Tuesday morning at 8:30 in recognition of Our Lady of Lourdes, the patroness of our school, and our worship site.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be celebrated at Notre Dame de Loudes Church on Tuesday 11 February. Adoration will continue throughout the day and conclude with evening Benediction at 6:30.
The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is also a celebration of World Day of Prayer for the Sick. Pope Francis recently spoke about the World Day of Prayer for the Sick and its connecting to the Jubilee Year of Hope. His words follow.
Dear brothers and sisters,
We are celebrating the 33rd World Day of the Sick in the Jubilee Year 2025, in which the Church invites us to become “pilgrims of hope”. The word of God accompanies us and offers us, in the words of Saint Paul, an encouraging message: “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5); indeed, it strengthens us in times of trial.
These are comforting words, but they can also prove perplexing, especially for those who are suffering. How can we be strong, for example, when our bodies are prey to severe, debilitating illnesses that require costly treatment that we may not be able to afford? How can we show strength when, in addition to our own sufferings, we see those of our loved ones who support us yet feel powerless to help us? In these situations, we sense our need for a strength greater than our own. We realize that we need God’s help, his grace, his Providence, and the strength that is the gift of his Spirit.
God remains close to those who are suffering in three ways: encounter, gift, and sharing. Encounter through our discovery of the rock of faith that holds us fast amid the tempests of life. The gift of the Holy Eucharist that draws us to Christ increasing our courage and confidence. Sharing our ability to be angels of hope through our mutual enrichment of our care and concern for each other.
We need to learn how to appreciate the beauty and significance of these grace-filled encounters. We need to learn how to cherish the gentle smile of a nurse, the gratitude and trust of a patient, the caring face of a doctor or volunteer, or the anxious and expectant look of a spouse, a child, a grandchild or a dear friend. All these are rays of light to be treasured; even amid the dark night of adversity, they give us strength, while at the same time teaching us the deeper meaning of life, in love and closeness (cf. Lk 10:25-37).
Dear brothers and sisters who are ill or who care for the suffering, in this Jubilee you play an especially important part. Your journey together is a sign for everyone: “a hymn to human dignity, a song of hope” (Spes Non Confundit, 11) Its strains are heard far beyond the rooms and beds of health facilities, and serve to elicit in charity “the choral participation of society as a whole” (ibid.) in a harmony that is at times difficult to achieve, but for that very reason is so comforting and powerful, capable of bringing light and warmth wherever they are most needed.
The whole Church thanks you for this! I do as well, and I remember you always in my prayers. I entrust you to Our Lady, Health of the Sick, in the words that so many of our brothers and sisters have addressed to her in their hour of need:
We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.