The Holy Family Parish in Ramallah celebrated the World Day of the Sick, during a Solemn Mass celebrated by Bishop Boulos Marcuzzo, Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, and concelebrated by Fr. Jamal Khader, Fr. Ibrahim Shomali, Fr. Joseph Sweis, Fr. Akram Musharbash and Fr. Filippo in the presence of The Sisters’ union in the Holy Land, the faithful and the sick.

In his homily, Bishop Marcuzzo stressed the importance of caring for the sick, saying that “our life and well being are a gift from God, yet, sick people are gifts too. Surly, sickness and sadness are not God’s gift, but as long as we are created by God, we have the possibility of having sickness within us. Therefore, Christianity taught us to transform this misery into grace.” He continued: “the sick, the doctors, nurses and hospitals all together create a spirit of fraternity and solidarity. This shows us how blissful is the Christian point of view in different matters, in which it turns any situation to an occasion of showing grace and promoting a culture of generosity.”

After the homily, the sick and the elderly received the Sacrament of Anointing with the blessed oil, in which His Excellency made the sign of the cross on their forehead, face, mouth and the palms of their hands.