The Loving Heart
Chapter 1: World Day of the Sick
Letter instituting the World Day of the Sick
A moment of prayer, sharing, and remembrance
To our reverend brother
Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, president of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers
Having favorably received the request from you, the above mentioned, as president of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, and also as representative of various Episcopal Conferences and national and international Catholic organizations, I wish to tell you that I have decided to establish a World Day of the Sick, to be celebrated every year on February 11, the liturgical commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes. In fact, I consider it opportune to extend to the whole ecclesial community an initiative that, already in force in some countries and regions, has produced pastoral fruit that is truly precious.
The Church, which, following the example of Christ, has always recognized, throughout the centuries, the duty of service to the sick and the suffering as an in ... read full excerpt from The Private Prayers of Pope John Paul II #4: The Loving Heart ebook
