A Mass for the Anointing of the Sick was celebrated by Bishop Earl Fernandes on Sunday, Feb. 8 at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral.
The bishop was joined by members of the Order of Malta, a lay religious order with a Columbus region. The organization has been part of the diocesan Mass for the past seven years.
Family members of the sick and other faithful were also in attendance, offering prayers and uniting in solidarity. Anointing of the Sick is reserved for individuals with serious illnesses.
Choral music was provided by the children’s choir at Hilliard St. Brendan the Navigator Church and Ross Williams, director of sacred music at the parish. Dr. Richard Fitzgerald, the diocesan director of music, served as the organist.
Deacon Steve Petrill, director for the diocesan Office of the Diaconate, assisted the bishop.
The Mass of Anointing is typically celebrated on or around Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of the Sick, observed by the Church. The day of observance was established by Pope St. John Paul II to raise awareness of illness, encourage prayer and invite Catholics to unite their suffering with Christ.
The theme, “The Compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing another’s pain,” was selected by Pope Leo XIV for the 34th annual World Day of the Sick, celebrated this year on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
To confer the sacrament, Bishop Fernandes laid his hands on the sick and anointed their heads with oil during the diocesan Mass on Feb. 8.
Members of the Order of Malta, known as knights and dames, stood behind the malades (a French term for a person who is sick or disabled) as they received anointing.
Knights and dames are traditionally garbed in black vestments with an eight-pointed white cross. The cross represents the eight beatitudes, a visual sign of the order’s spirituality.
The order, nearly 1,000 years old, facilitates medical, social and humanitarian projects worldwide. It was founded on Feb. 15, 1113 in the Holy Land to look after poor pilgrims.
Its primary charisms include defending the faith and caring for the sick and poor.
to a position where the bishop will confer the Anointing of the Sick.
Each region of the order is coordinated by a hospitaller, a knight or dame assigned to the area. The hospitaller is responsible for organizing Masses, activities and membership-related events in the region.
The Order of Malta’s Columbus region operates a clinic at the former Columbus Holy Rosary-St. John Church, located southeast of downtown on Ohio Avenue. The clinic serves the poor and sick with medical and dental care.
The Federal Association of the Order of Malta sponsors an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, each May. A team of knights, dames, auxiliary members and volunteers assist malades while visiting the grotto where the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
The holy place continues to be a site of miraculous healings.