By Deacon Kyle Eller
The Northern Cross
Duluth Bishop Daniel Felton celebrated the annual diocesan White Mass Oct. 17 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth.
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Bishop Daniel Felton blesses those who serve in the medical field as well as some medical instruments at the diocesan White Mass Oct. 17 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Gordon Harvieux) |
The annual Mass honors those in the medical profession and is organized in conjunction with the St. Raphael Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, the chapter of the national organization that is active in the Duluth Diocese.
The liturgy included a blessing of those who serve in the medical field and some medical instruments that had been brought to the Mass, and following the Mass, Bishop Felton and Father Anthony Wroblewski, the cathedral rector, led a rosary for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and other intentions.
In his homily, Bishop Felton reflected on verses of a hymn, “The Servant Song,” by Richard Gillard, noting that those in the medical profession live out in a particular way the call of Christ in the Gospel to be servants of all. He called that service a “vocation in life. It’s not just your job.”
He said that while this is always true in the medical profession, it’s been especially so over the past couple of years with the ongoing pandemic.
Bishop Felton said that service is about what Jesus does in and through those serving.
“And why it’s important to know that a vocation in the medical profession is always connected to the great physician, to Jesus Christ, is that sometimes not only are we ministering to those who are suffering, but sometimes we in the medical profession ourselves are suffering, as well, from the great fatigue, from the overload, from being overwhelmed,” he said. “And yes, as Jesus said, I will even give my life for the ransom of many, there have been those in the medical profession who have died this past year because they were being of service to all, and they were ready to lay down their life for the healing of all.”
He said the call really was about grace and God’s bounty. “God would never give us a calling in his life that he does not bestow the grace that we would need to fulfill that purpose and to accomplish that mission,” he said.
