LEWISTON — In honor of those who comfort and care for the sick, Bishop Robert P. Deeley will celebrate the White Mass for healthcare professionals and caregivers at 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, at the Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul, 122 Ash St.

The White Mass blesses and thanks healthcare professionals and caregivers, including doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, lab technicians, therapists and pharmacists. People of all faiths are encouraged to attend and join in showing gratitude to this community.

While the White Mass is celebrated annually, it holds special significance during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. In February, the diocese is taking particular note of the corporal act of mercy to “visit the sick” and the spiritual act of mercy to “comfort the afflicted.”

“Each year, the White Mass provides an occasion for the community to thank all medical professionals for the essential service they provide and to ask God’s blessing upon their work,” said Bishop Deeley. “In their care for the sick and suffering, they carry on the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”

“Those of us who entered into the medical profession do so because we desire to heal,” said Dr. Michael Czerkes, an OB/GYN and NaProTECHNOLOGY specialist at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center. “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta rightly pointed out that we can only cure physical disease and ailments through medicine. Spiritual ailments, like despair or hopelessness, can only be cured with love. I want to encourage all of us in the medical profession to join in the celebration of the White Mass. Let us join together to celebrate this sacrament of love, receive love, and then take that love back to our patients.”

In many dioceses around the country, the White Mass is celebrated on or around Feb. 11, the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of Prayer for the Sick. Since 1992, the Catholic Church has celebrated the World Day of Prayer for the Sick to remind the faithful to pray intensely for the sick, reflect on and respond to human suffering, and to recognize and honor all persons who work in healthcare and serve as caregivers.

The White Mass is named for the color of the vestments worn on the day. White is associated with the medical profession.