Dear Teachers:
Each year on February 11, the Catholic Church marks the World Day of the Sick on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. This is a time to offer prayers for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers.
We invite you to promote the Holy Father’s message for World Day of the Sick in your classrooms in the month of February. Below you will find prayers for the sick and suggested elementary, middle and secondary classroom activities that can be used to teach students about the World Day of the Sick with a focus on this year’s theme.
The theme of this year’s 31st World Day of the Sick observance is “Take care of him: Compassion as a synodal exercise of healing”, drawn from the Gospel of Luke on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Pope Francis urges Catholics to heed the example of the Good Samaritan showing compassion and taking care of the sick in a world that discards the most vulnerable.
Archbishop Miller will celebrate a Mass for World Day of the Sick on Saturday, February 11 at 11am at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Vancouver. We also invite schools to pray for the sick and their caregivers at Mass on this day.
Catholic Health Association of BC would like to thank Natalie Chow, a secondary school teacher, for putting together these lessons plans and resources for World Day of the Sick. We hope that you will find them useful. To learn more about this day, visit www.chabc.bc.ca/world-day-of-the-sick.
Bob Breen
Executive Director
Suggested Classroom Activities
We invite you to use the following lesson plans to teach students about the World Day of the Sick:
- Suggested Elementary School Classroom Activity
- Suggested Middle School Classroom Activity
- Suggested Secondary School Classroom Activity
- Prayers for the Sick (Any Level Classroom Activity)
Within the lesson plans, you will also find a handout along with colouring pages from a few online sources and a Powerpoint Presentation. These resources have been included below for quick reference:
Prayers for World Day of the Sick
To mark World Day of the Sick, we invite schools to pray with us. Below is a prayer that can be prayed together by schools over the PA system or within the classroom:
Father of goodness and love, hear our prayers for the sick members of our community and for all who are in need. Amid mental and physical suffering may they find consolation in your healing presence. Show your mercy as you close wounds, cure illness, make broken bodies whole and free downcast spirits. May these special people find lasting health and deliverance, and so join us in thanking you for all your gifts. We ask this through the Lord Jesus who healed those who believed. Amen.
Our Father…..Hail Mary (x3)……Glory be….
Prayers of the Faithful
Response: Lord, come and heal us.
Bless all the sick and fill them with new hope and strength. Response
Relieve their pain. Response
Free them from sin and do not let them give way to temptation. Response
Sustain all the sick with your power. Response
Assist all who care for the sick. Response
Give life and health to our brothers and sisters who are ill. Response
Prayer Intentions adapted from World Day of the Sick Mass Booklet
In his message for World Day of the Sick 2023, Pope Francis stresses that “in the midst of illness,” the Church becomes a”field hospital” dedicated to “acts of care.” No one should be alone in times of illness.