Here are some great images, above and below, from Saturday’s “Rose Mass” at Saint Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor which was offered by Bishop Earl Boyea in thanksgiving to God for the work and witness of Catholic healthcare workers.
“The Rose Mass is an opportunity to give prayerful thanks to God for all those Catholic healthcare workers across the Diocese of Lansing who bring Christ’s divine love to the sick and dying each day, and do so in a way that fosters a culture of life which upholds the dignity of the human person,” said Bishop Boyea.
The Rose Mass has taken place annually within the Diocese of Lansing since 2016. It takes place, intentionally, on the fourth Sunday of Lent which is known as Laetare Sunday – laetare being the Latin word for “rejoice” – whereupon the clerical celebrants are permitted to wear rose vestments as a hopeful half-way mark during the more austere, purple Lenten season.
The Rose Mass is organized by the Catholic Medical Association of Lansing. Amid the congregation at Saint Thomas were approximately 60 to 70 healthcare workers drawn from local hospitals and beyond.
“The Rose Mass is a beautiful expression of unity-in-faith by healthcare professionals in the Diocese of Lansing with our Bishop at the Sacrifice of the Mass,” said Father Tim Nelson, Pastor of Saint Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Jackson, who is also a former cardiologist who practiced medicine in Grand Rapids before entering the seminary.
At the conclusion of Mass, Father Nelson led his fellow doctors in swearing the Hippocratic Oath, ancient affirmation by which physicians swear to practice medicine in an ethical way including upholding the sanctity of life at all stages.
The Rose Mass was followed by a dinner in Saint Thomas parish hall which concluded with some remarks from Dr. Kristin Collier of the University of Michigan Medical School on "Physician Conscience: What is it, and Why Should We Care?"
