Annual White Mass to be held on Saturday, February 15th
Annual White Mass to be held on Saturday, February 15th.
In recognition of the work and dedication of those in the medical profession, the Archdiocese of Kansas City will host its Annual White Mass at 10:30 AM on Saturday Feb. 15th, at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Westport (3934 Washington St, Kansas City, MO 64111.) Bishop James Johnston will be the celebrant, and Archbishop Joseph Naumann the homilist. A reception will follow in the church hall. All doctors, nurses and other medical personnel are warmly invited to attend. We would LOVE to see you all present in support of our traditional Catholic values when we face so many ethical challenges (abortion, euthanasia, gender"confusion" and reassignment, laws that require us to act against our consciences and beliefs or be prosecuted, etc.)
The White Mass is so named because health care workers traditionally wear white coats. In addition, white is a symbol in the Church of hope and comfort to the ill and hospitalized. Having an annual White Mass for health care professionals is a tradition within the Catholic Church honoring St. Luke as Patron of Physicians and those who serve in the medical field. During the Mass, Catholic physicians, residents, medical students and health care workers renew their special promise to carry out the healing work of the Lord while abiding by His laws.
History of White Mass
The tradition of the White Mass in the United States finds its origins in the development of the national Catholic Medical Association in the early 1930s. From its inception, the medical profession has been understood as a healing profession, a way in which Christ’s work continues upon the earth. Moreover, since the apparitions at Lourdes in the late 19th century, the plight of the infirmed- and those who care for them- have taken on renewed appreciation in participating in the mysteries of Christ’s own life. The White Mass, so named by the color worn by those in the healing profession of medicine, gathers health care professionals under the patronage of St. Luke to ask God’s blessing upon the patient doctor, nurse, and caregiver alike.
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