Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Valencia (Agenzia Fides) – In honor of the worldwide celebration of the “Easter Celebration for the Sick,” the parishes of Valencia (Spain) have organized Masses dedicated to the sick and disabled, for receiving the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
The celebration is being promoted by the Spanish Bishops' Conference, with the motto “Believe, celebrate, and live the Eucharist,” and has been organized in Valencia by the Archdiocesan Commission for Pastoral Health Care, with the goal of “creating awareness of the need to integrate and accept the suffering members of the community, parishes, and hospitals in order to help give meaning to their ailments,” the Commission's President commented.
The Commission for Pastoral Health Care of the Archdiocese has published a guide this year with indications in order to facilitate preparations and the celebration of the day in the parishes.
In the Archdiocese of Valencia, the Pastoral Health Care includes 280 groups of lay men and women from parishes who visit the sick and elderly in hospitals, residencies, and homes. There are also over 50 chaplains who coordinate the pastoral and spiritual care of the 28 hospitals in the Diocese. Many of the Institutes for Consecrated Life, such as the Camillians, the Servants of Mary, the Sisters of Saint Anne, the Cooperators of Betania, the Hospitaller Sisters and the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly, in addition to other associations and congregations of the Catholic Church that offer pastoral assistance in the health care centers and residencies in Valencia. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 18/5/2009)
