Annual White Mass will focus on health care for refugees

Friday, Oct. 02, 2015

 

SALT LAKE CITY — The third annual Diocese of Salt Lake City White Mass for medical and health care professionals will be celebrated on Oct. 10 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine, sponsored by the local chapter of the Catholic Medical Association.

Father Martin Diaz, Cathedral of the Madeleine pastor, will be the celebrant and will lead the health care professionals in renewing their promises to remain faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church and in recommitting themselves to be instruments of Christ’s peace and healing.

The core principles of the Catholic Medical Association are to provide an avenue for health care professionals to live their Catholic faith, to provide spiritual and moral support to Catholic health care professionals and to offer national advocacy to provide guidance in medical and ethical principles, said Dr. Catherine Stokes, White Mass coordinator.  

Following the Mass in the cathedral’s Scanlan Hall, Dr. Tan Tran will speak on the topic “Bridging the Gap for Underserved Health Care.” Tran is from Vietnam and he has provided medical care for refugees, in particular those in the Vietnamese community, Stokes said. 

“Fr. Diaz also works closely with those who serve the homeless at the cathedral’s Good Samaritan Program, and has recently stated in his Sunday homilies the importance of serving those in need,” Stokes added. 

There are about 4 million refugees or displaced people who are in need of assistance, Stokes said. “The U.S. currently accepts 70,000 refugees and will increase to 85,000 refugees in 2016 and 100,000 in 2017 to help alleviate the mass migration of Syrians fleeing their country’s civil war,” she said, adding that Tran’s talk will be timely.

Stokes said she invited Catholic Community Services personnel to the White Mass because “they seek people from the various parishes in the Diocese of Salt Lake City to mentor and assist refugee families as they resettle in Utah,” she said. 

Catholic Community Services resettles approximately 600 refugees in Salt Lake City each year and provides them with a full range of supportive services, said Danielle Stamos, CCS public relations and marketing director.

The traditional White Mass began in the United States when the National Catholic Medical Association was formed in the 1930s. It is celebrated on a day close to the Feast of Saint Luke, which is Oct. 18. Saint Luke is the patron saint of physicians. The Mass was so named for the white coat worn by those in medical professions.

“We welcome all medical and health care professionals and those who have an interest in this subject” to attend the White Mass and the talk by Tran that will follow, said Stokes. “This is a way for people to connect with Catholic professionals.”

What: White Mass for medical professionals

When: Saturday, Oct. 10 5 p.m.

Where: Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple, SLC

Free and open to the public. For the light dinner and speaker that

follows in Scanlan Hall, the cost is $10. RSVP to Veola Burchett, veola.

burchett@dioslc.org or 801 328-8641 for a dinner count.