Catholic Fire

February 11 is the 22nd World Day of the Sick, a commemoration that was instituted by Blessed John Paul II and takes place each year on the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes . The title of Pope Francis’s message for the day is entitled “Faith and Charity: ‘We Ought to Lay Down Our Lives for One Another,’” a reference to a text from the First Letter of St. John. In his letter instituting the commemoration, Pope John Paul wrote that the day should be “a special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one’s suffering for the good of the Church and of reminding everyone to see in his sick brother or sister the face of Christ who, by suffering, dying, and rising, achieved the salvation of mankind.” Pope Francis: Message on the occasion of the 22nd World Day of the Sick, 2014 Related: Prayer for Healing to Our Lady of Lourdes

January 29, 2013. (Romereports.com) On Tuesday, the Vatican issued the Pope´s message for World Day of the Sick, which will take place this year on February 11, 2013 at the Marian Shrine of Altotting in Bavaria. Through his message, Benedict XVI encourages people to become a Good Samaritan, citing Jesus as the ultimate example of a person who helps total strangers and asks nothing in return. The prsident of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers, says being a Good Samaritan is more important now than ever, given the current economic instability. MSGR. ZYGMUNT ZIMOWSKI President, Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers  “Volunteering is also very important in many countries, especially today with the crisis. We can't finance everything for everybody, but we can offer ourselves to others. This, I think, is the definition of being a Good Samaritan. That message of 'go and do likewise.'” This year´s event will take place in the Pope...

Today marks the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858 to fourteen-year-old Marie Bernade (St. Bernadette) Soubirous. Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, the Blessed Virgin appeared eighteen times, and showed herself to St. Bernadette in the hollow of the rock at Lourdes. On March 25 she said to the little shepherdess who was only fourteen years of age: "I am the Immaculate Conception." Since then Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and many cures and conversions have taken place. The message of Lourdes is a call to personal conversion, prayer, and charity. The Apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes Pope John Paul II's Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes Official Site of Lourdes Place Your Petition at the Grotto of Lourdes World Day of the Sick The World Day of the Sick is celebrated every year on February 11, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. This year the Holy Father requests Christian Communities to help the family of sick children. The Holy Father's Mes...

Catholics who participate in the World Day of the Sick February 11 events can receive a special indulgence. A plenary, or full, indulgence will be offered to those who participate in the official celebrations of the World Day of the Sick in Seoul, South Korea, or in their own dioceses or parishes. A plenary indulgence will also be offered on Feb. 11 to people who dedicate at least several hours caring for a sick person, especially one with a incurable or terminal illness, and to the sick themselves. To receive the indulgence, the person must go to confession, receive the Holy Eucharist (or do so as soon as possible), and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. Partial indulgences are being offered between Feb. 9-11 to those who pray for the sick, especially for those with incurable or terminal diseases.