VANCOUVER (CCN) — There will be a quiet but significant change to how World Day of the Sick is observed in Vancouver this year as the Archdiocese of Vancouver takes on hosting the the World Day of the Sick Mass in the wake of Catholic Health Association of B.C. winding down its mission.
The World Day of the Sick Mass, which traditionally recognizes Catholic health-care leadership and institutions, will now be organized by the Archdiocese rather than the CHABC.
World Day of the Sick, which takes place on Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, was instituted by St. John Paul II in 1992, who chose the date because of its historic association with the sick, suffering, and healing. From its beginning, the observance has been framed not only around health care but also mercy, compassion, dignity, and accompaniment.
St. John Paul II consistently presented health care as a ministry that calls the Church to walk with the sick rather than treat suffering as a problem. Lourdes and its emphasis on pilgrimage, hospitality, and care for the vulnerable became the theological heart of the observance.
In Vancouver, World Day of the Sick takes place alongside National Catholic Health Care Week, Feb. 1–7. The week is dedicated to honouring the Church’s healing ministry and tradition of compassionate care, and to uniting Catholic health-care workers, volunteers, leaders, physicians, the Archdiocese, and the broader community.
Local events include:
- Catholic Health Care Mass to celebrate the shared mission of Catholic health care and pray together as a community. Thursday, Feb. 5, at 11 a.m. at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital
- Mission Lunch & Learn, featuring a panel discussion, “History of Living the Values at PHC,” with Mission Award winners and others who exemplify Catholic health-care values in diverse settings. Wednesday, Feb. 4, at noon in the Cullen Room (hybrid format) at St. Paul’s Hospital .
- Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows in Vancouver, 11 a.m., celebrated by Archbishop Richard Smith. Reception follows.
The observances come as Catholic health care in British Columbia enters a new organizational phase. After 85 years of service to Catholic health care in British Columbia, the Catholic Health Association of British Columbia has ceased operations, marking the end of an organization that for decades helped coordinate, support, and give voice to the Church’s healing ministry in the province.
CHABC officially closed its offices last year, following a decision by its members and board to dissolve the society and transfer its remaining programs and resources to the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
In a statement announcing the decision, the board expressed gratitude to parishes, families, and Catholic organizations that supported it since its inception, noting that the Archdiocese’s existing infrastructure would allow the work to continue and, in some areas, expand.
Founded in 1940, CHABC began as a forum where leaders in Catholic health care, including acute-care hospitals and long-term-care homes, could meet to share information, address emerging issues, and strengthen the Catholic identity of health services across the province. Over the decades, the association provided education, networking, ethical resources, and advocacy, helping Catholic health care providers remain connected in a changing health-care landscape.
Over time, that landscape changed significantly. Hospital mergers, regionalization, and the consolidation of many Catholic facilities into Providence Health Care reshaped how Catholic health care is organized and governed in British Columbia. As those changes unfolded, many of the services once coordinated by CHABC increasingly came to be delivered through other structures.
In recent years, CHABC undertook a province-wide survey of stakeholders to assess its ongoing role. The results showed that most of the association’s remaining services were already being carried out within the Archdiocese of Vancouver. With advocacy for faith-based care at the provincial level now handled through the Denominational Health Association, the CHABCs board decided that maintaining a separate organization was no longer necessary.
Following discussions with Archbishop Smith, the board developed a plan to transfer program delivery and assets to the Archdiocese.
