Blessings of Hands
February 11 – the special day where the Church celebrates the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. Why is this so special? It is the date that Mary, the Immaculate Conception, first revealed herself to a poor young girl, Bernadette Soubirous, in the niche of a rock in the grotto near Lourdes in 1858. Here we are 162 years later from the time of that first apparition celebrating the marvelous mystery of that day.
In 1992, Pope John Paul II established “World Day of the Sick” to occur on February 11, the feast of our lady, to be an annual reminder to us to pray for the sick and suffering and to offer anointing of the sick and blessings to all who care for them. The Pope’s wish? To offer a day for people to pray and share in each other’s suffering.
At Mullen Home, we celebrated with an anointing of the sick during Mass in the morning for all Residents and in the afternoon, gathered all staff, Association Jeanne Jugan members and volunteers to join us for a prayer service and blessing of caregiver’s hands. The result- a touching encounter to remind us how important our hands are in our work and the ministry we offer to the sick.
Blessings of Hands