Annual White Mass offers prayers, blessings for health care professionals
October 20, 2024 at 8:03 p.m.
UPDATED OCT. 21, 2024
“True greatness is not found in titles … but in your willingness to serve others humbly,” Father Richard Vila, pastor of St. Ann Parish, Keansburg, told medical personnel who gathered for the annual White Mass.
“As health care professionals … you're not just healers of the body; you’re also bearers, compassion, and comfort, reflecting the love of Christ in every interaction,” Father Vila said.
Now in its 11th year, the Diocesan White Mass is held on or near the Oct. 18 Feast of St. Luke, which commemorates the apostle who was an evangelist and physician. This year’s Mass was celebrated Oct. 20 at St. Luke Church, Toms River.
Father Michael Kennedy, pastor of St. Luke Parish, was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Six priests concelebrated, including Father Vila, who was homilist.
“The health care workers … the things they do are so vital; they save so many lives and affect so many lives,” Father Kennedy said.
Following in Christ’s Footsteps
Father Vila urged the health care professionals to remember that they must lead with faith and that, in caring for those in need, they are following and putting into practice Christ’s call to serve the fragility of heart.
“As you navigate the challenges of your profession … every service is an extension of Jesus’ own mission; he came not to be served, but to serve in his life,” he said.
The medical field is not simple, but those caring for others can turn to Jesus for his guidance and intercession, Father Vila said, adding that Jesus’ mission serves as a model for those in the medical field.
“Healing those beyond medical treatment encompasses the whole person, body, mind and spirit … serving in the medical field is not always easy; it requires strength, resilience and sometimes [takes] a heavy emotional toll,” Father Vila said.
Father Kennedy said he hopes those who attended were strengthened and took away the idea of being imitators of Christ.
“Jesus used his hands for healing,” he added.
Blessing of Ministry
During the Mass, the priests prayed with and blessed the hands of the health care professionals, a reminder of their chosen vocation of caring for others.
First-time attendee Mary Fortier of St. Ann Parish, an emergency nurse and executive director at the New Jersey Board of Nursing, said the blessing of the hands was “almost like an electric feeling, that somebody else is recognizing that these hands have worked hard [and that] somebody’s going to give me strength to continue.”
Patrick Hurler, a member of St. Luke Parish, an R.N. at Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus, Lakewood, and a nursing clinical instructor at Ocean County College, said, “the blessing of the hands … helps us serve as a conduit … to the patients and people that we serve, so it's very meaningful to me.”
Kathleen Brack of St. Pius X Parish, Forked River, is currently a nurse at the Ocean Endosurgery Center in Toms River and has served as a nurse at Community Medical Center, Toms River. She said it is important to attend the White Mass for her profession.
“The way [the Mass] was presented … priests on the altar, the songs that were sung, it just all came together as an important moment,” she said.
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UPDATED OCT. 21, 2024
“True greatness is not found in titles … but in your willingness to serve others humbly,” Father Richard Vila, pastor of St. Ann Parish, Keansburg, told medical personnel who gathered for the annual White Mass.
“As health care professionals … you're not just healers of the body; you’re also bearers, compassion, and comfort, reflecting the love of Christ in every interaction,” Father Vila said.
Now in its 11th year, the Diocesan White Mass is held on or near the Oct. 18 Feast of St. Luke, which commemorates the apostle who was an evangelist and physician. This year’s Mass was celebrated Oct. 20 at St. Luke Church, Toms River.
Father Michael Kennedy, pastor of St. Luke Parish, was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Six priests concelebrated, including Father Vila, who was homilist.
“The health care workers … the things they do are so vital; they save so many lives and affect so many lives,” Father Kennedy said.
Following in Christ’s Footsteps
Father Vila urged the health care professionals to remember that they must lead with faith and that, in caring for those in need, they are following and putting into practice Christ’s call to serve the fragility of heart.
“As you navigate the challenges of your profession … every service is an extension of Jesus’ own mission; he came not to be served, but to serve in his life,” he said.
The medical field is not simple, but those caring for others can turn to Jesus for his guidance and intercession, Father Vila said, adding that Jesus’ mission serves as a model for those in the medical field.
“Healing those beyond medical treatment encompasses the whole person, body, mind and spirit … serving in the medical field is not always easy; it requires strength, resilience and sometimes [takes] a heavy emotional toll,” Father Vila said.
Father Kennedy said he hopes those who attended were strengthened and took away the idea of being imitators of Christ.
“Jesus used his hands for healing,” he added.
Blessing of Ministry
During the Mass, the priests prayed with and blessed the hands of the health care professionals, a reminder of their chosen vocation of caring for others.
First-time attendee Mary Fortier of St. Ann Parish, an emergency nurse and executive director at the New Jersey Board of Nursing, said the blessing of the hands was “almost like an electric feeling, that somebody else is recognizing that these hands have worked hard [and that] somebody’s going to give me strength to continue.”
Patrick Hurler, a member of St. Luke Parish, an R.N. at Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus, Lakewood, and a nursing clinical instructor at Ocean County College, said, “the blessing of the hands … helps us serve as a conduit … to the patients and people that we serve, so it's very meaningful to me.”
Kathleen Brack of St. Pius X Parish, Forked River, is currently a nurse at the Ocean Endosurgery Center in Toms River and has served as a nurse at Community Medical Center, Toms River. She said it is important to attend the White Mass for her profession.
“The way [the Mass] was presented … priests on the altar, the songs that were sung, it just all came together as an important moment,” she said.