White Mass for World Day of the Sick

The White Mass remembers those who are sick and celebrates those in healthcare, mental health and healing professions

Contact: Rachel Hrbolich, Diocesan Director of Catholic Charities (330) 744-8451, ext. 328, rhrbolich@youngstowndiocese.org

Additional Contact: R.J. Mangan, Director of the Office of Peace and Justice, 330-744-8451, ext. 245, rmangan@youngstowndiocese.org

The Most Reverend David J. Bonnar, Bishop of Youngstown will preside over the 30th annual White Mass on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 12:10 p.m., at St. Columba Cathedral, 154 West Wood Street in Youngstown. The Mass will remember in a special way those who are sick. Members of healthcare, human services, and healing professions, as well as those who attend to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others in a nonprofessional capacity, are encouraged to attend. A light lunch will follow in St. Columba Parish Hall.

The 2026 White Mass will be held on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which was first designated as World Day of this Sick by Saint John Paul II in 1992. Our Lady of Lourdes, one of many names for the Blessed Mother, Mary, appeared to a young woman, Bernadette Soubirous (later St. Bernadette) in 1858. A grotto was constructed on the site where the apparitions occurred in Lourdes, France. Millions of pilgrims each year visit the Grotto of the Apparitions seeking physical and spiritual healing.

For more information contact Rachel Hrbolich, Diocesan Director of Catholic Charities at 330-744-8451 ext. 328.