By Armando Machado

Correspondent

For the second year, St. Luke Parish, Toms River, observed the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, patron of healthcare professionals, by serving as the site of the annual White Mass celebrated Oct. 18. The occasion brought together men and women who work in the field of healthcare and was a time for them to reflect on and give thanks for their chosen vocation.

“We come here today to celebrate everyone in the healthcare profession, to honor your profession,” said Father Robert Grodnicki, pastor of St. Luke Parish and principal celebrant of the Mass. 

 “We celebrate doctors and nurses, and EMT people who we now call first responders, and all the people working in nursing homes. We see what a wonderful crisscross it is of personnel doing all kinds of jobs in the medical profession,” he said

In his homily, Father Grodnicki reflected on how doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals help God answer the prayers of the sick, the injured and their loved ones simply by doing their job. He noted that, like priests, doctors and other healthcare professionals are often called upon for assistance during very challenging, difficult times for medical patients and their families, including end-of-life encounters.

“We come to you to heal us - you are healers,” he said. “You taught me how to be a better priest, by the things you said to me and the care that you demonstrate,” Father Grodnicki said, then added that on a personal note, he extended his appreciation to the staff of Green Acres Manor, a healthcare facility in Toms River, for the good care they provided to his mother prior to her death earlier this year.

Father Grodnicki also acknowledged the many healthcare and nursing home centers in the Toms River area and the help they provide to the sick in their charge.

“It was very heartwarming and it really expressed the sentiments of healthcare professionals,” Dr. Victor Bacani, a member of St. Luke Parish and a physician for 35 years who currently works in private practice, said of the White Mass.

“This Mass is not just for doctors and nurses; it’s also for nurse’s aides, physical therapists, speech therapists, EMT’s, anybody involved in the healthcare profession,” said Dr. Bacani, who was in attendance with his wife, Sandra, a registered nurse who works in his office.

Dr. Bacani smiled as he recalled being in fourth grade and receiving his first doctor’s toy set that sparked his desire to become a physician. The healthcare profession, he said, “is not just a job, It’s a great privilege that we have every day and it’s an awesome responsibility. Patients put their lives into your hands so you have to do what is right all the time.”

Parishioner Mary Alfano, a registered nurse for 20 years, said she attended the White Mass last year and found it so meaningful that she wanted to be present for this year’s celebration.

“When you are a healthcare professional a lot of people come in and out of your life,” Alfano said, then noted how she and her colleagues are “definitely touched” by the patients they encounter and the in their fields.  

She said she was eight years old when she had first thoughts of becoming a registered nurse and would provide care to stray animals. She delayed her career to work instead in the business world to raise her younger siblings after the death of her parents, but worked as an EMT and assistance paramedic in her spare time.