Bishop Checchio lauds healthcare workers in homily at annual Mass

NEW BRUNSWICK — Ministering to the sick as Jesus did is an integral part of the mission of the diocesan-sponsored Saint Peter’s University Hospital, said Bishop James F. Checchio during a Mass celebrated at the health care facility’s chapel Feb. 11.

“Just as [the deaf-mute man] is fortunate to have these believers care enough to bring him to Jesus, I would say the sick who come here to St. Peter’s are also fortunate for the community they find here at our hospital,” he said in his homily marking the 30th World Day of the Sick.
 

Instituted by then-Pope, now St. John Paul II and first observed Feb. 11, 1993, the World Day of the Sick also commemorates the ill and their caretakers. The date coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, patroness of the shrine in France where many have been healed through her intercession. This year’s theme for the celebration is “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Lk 6:36)
 

Prior to Mass, the group toured the hospital. Bishop Checchio visited patients and healthcare workers on numerous wards, cheerfully posed for cellphone pictures and bestowed blessings on the sick.

At the Mass, Leslie D. Hirsch, president and chief executive officer of Saint Peter’s, welcomed Bishop Checchio and hospital board members, noting, “World Day of the Sick fits with our mission at Saint Peter’s: to care of the sick and most vulnerable.”
 

In his homily on the Gospel of Mark (7:31-37), Bishop Checchio noted it was the community of faith that brought the sick man to Jesus. The sick who come to Saint Peter’s University Hospital, he said, were grateful for the caring community they encountered, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic.
 

“Saint Peter’s has responded so well to this worldwide health crisis and I think it shows what the community is like,” the bishop said. “Although Pope Francis has never been to this hospital or our diocese, I think he must have had a community like yours in mind when he said this: ‘The extraordinary dedication and generosity of healthcare personnel, volunteers and support staff … serve the sick and their families with professionalism and love… It is a precious balm that provides support and consolation to the sick and suffering.’”
 

The World Day of the Sick is an opportunity to recognize one of the subtle signs of Jesus’ love for us, he continued. The miracles God works at Saint Peter’s and the care medical personnel bestow upon its patients each day, the bishop noted, “must be for the full person.”
 

“I am so grateful this community does it so well,” he concluded.
 

“Pray fervently for the sick and their healing, and for all those who care for the sick, especially throughout this pandemic. We pray for the healing of all.”