THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE will once again honor the work performed by healthcare and mental health professionals at the annual White Mass, named for the white coats traditionally worn by medical professionals.
LAST YEAR’S ANNUAL WHITE MASS WAS CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER AT THE ARBORETUM ON THE CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS. PHOTO BY KAYLEE TOOLE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Just as the Red Mass honors judges, lawyers and professionals in legal fields, and the Blue Mass honors the work of law enforcement and first responders, the White Mass honors medical professionals who are often considered healing ministers performing the work of Jesus Christ.
These include physicians, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, EMTs, missionaries, health care educators, lab workers, hospital volunteers and others.
Bishop Kevin Vann will serve as the main celebrant for the White Mass, which is being celebrated at Christ Cathedral on Oct. 20 at 3 p.m.
The White Mass is especially meaningful to Bishop Vann whose mother was a nurse and clinical instructor at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois and the bishop himself worked as a medical technologist at St. John’s before entering religious life.
“He has such a heart for the health care ministry,” said White Mass organizer Rebecca Freeman, Pastoral Care Ministry coordinator for the Diocese. “So, it’s really special to have him.”
Priests who work in the Providence Health Care System, a sponsor of the White Mass, will serve as co-celebrants, Freeman said.
The Catholic Medical Association is also a main sponsor.
“I just think medical professionals at every level, the White Mass reminds them of why they went to do their studies,” said Dr. Mary Kotob, director of the Orange County Chapter of the Catholic Medical Association.
The Catholic tradition of the White Mass dates in the U.S. dates back to the founding of the Catholic Medical Association in the 1930s.
“We are really looking to have an inclusive vision for the kind of village that surrounds people who are sick and suffering and so we really call it the health care and mental health provider Mass,” Freeman said. “Because we realize that everyone surrounding a patient from the dietician and the cafeteria worker to the custodial worker, to the nurse to the doctor to the chaplain and social worker. It is a whole team effort. We want to highlight everyone who’s a part of that team.”
The White Mass is often celebrated on or near Oct. 18, the feast day of St. Luke the Evangelist, the patron saint of physicians and surgeons.
St. Luke is one of four Gospel writers, along with Saints Matthew, John and Mark, and is also the author of the book of Acts of the Apostles. Luke, himself, is believed to have been a physician according to the practice of Greek medicine at the time.
In Colossians 4:14, St. Paul refers to Luke as the “beloved physician.”