Bishop Dennis Sullivan will tour Kennedy University Hospital and the Kennedy Health Care Center, both located in Washington Township, in commemoration of the World Day of the Sick, February 11 from 11 am – noon.
During his visit to the Kennedy campus, Bishop Sullivan will meet with physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers to thank them for their service to the sick. He will conduct pastoral rounds at the hospital, visiting with patients and their caregivers. And finally, he will meet with Kennedy Health Care Center staff and residents.
This year, observing World Day of the Sick takes on an even greater importance, as the Catholic Church is celebrating the Jubilee of Mercy, a Holy Year focused on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Visiting the Sick is one of the most well-known of the corporal works and a merciful endeavor open to anyone at any time. Earlier this year, Pope Francis noted that “Every hospital and nursing home can be a visible sign and setting in which to promote the culture of encounter and peace, where the experience of illness and suffering, along with professional and fraternal assistance, helps to overcome every limitation and division.”
World Day of the Sick, an observation introduced by Saint Pope John Paul II in 1992, encourages the faithful to comfort, visit, and pray for those who are going through the pain and isolation of poor health and illness, as well as those who provide care to them. The day coincides with the commemoration of Our Lady of Lourdes, the feast day dedicated to Mary’s appearance before Saint Bernadette in Lourdes, France, on February 11, 1858.
Pope’s message for 2016 World Day of the Sick