October 19 - I don't usually attend Sunday Mass at Rosary Cathedral, but going today is going to change that. Today, the diocese celebrated a White Mass, which is a Mass dedicated to those in health care, doctors, nurses, med students, anyone who works in health care.  I'm told that the diocese hasn't celebrated a White Mass in several years.

The White Mass took place at 11 am, which is the regular time for Sunday Mass at the cathedral (in addition to 9 am) so the weekly attendance at 11 am was definitely bigger, and it was nice to see the cathedral with lots of families and several people who have never been there before. I can always tell when someone enters the cathedral for the first time because they typically look up as soon as they enter the huge front doors, and then they just marvel at the beauty of our cathedral.  I know I am biased, but it truly is rather majestic. I've been to several cathedrals across our country, and I still think ours is the most beautiful.

Today was considered a work day, as I have been working with members of the Northwest Ohio Guild of the Catholic Medical Association as they prepared for this Mass, and I really wanted to be present to pray with them and meet them afterwards. This local guild describes themselves as "just getting their feet wet with this kind of thing,"( the White Mass), and after spending some time with them yesterday, it really inspired me to help them as they plan for next year's White Mass, and perhaps even some other things throughout the year.

Some of the highlights of the morning were Bishop Blair's homily, as he talked about "Jesus as the divine physician and the eternal healer" and his blessings upon health care workers. At the reception after the Mass, Nicole Bazger, D.O. gave a powerful talk about her experience praying in front of a local abortion clinic, and her unexpected conversation with a doctor who performs abortions at the center. Nicole also led us in prayer for our upcoming election. It was great to see the med students in conversation with Bishop Blair, and I had an interesting conversation with Dr. Paul Byrne regarding organ donation.

I began today's entry with a comment about attending Sunday Mass at our cathedral more often, so in closing I'll get back to that. I wonder why more people don't attend Sunday Mass at the cathedral, and I know it's because they are most likely attending Mass at their local parish. While I do the same, I'm going to make an effort to attend Mass at least one Sunday a month at the cathedral. Not only is it a beautiful place of worship, but I love the diversity of the people. I love that I truly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when I'm there. I wonder how many other people I can encourage to attend one Sunday Mass a month at the cathedral?

Sally

Click here for more photos from today's White Mass