October 20, 2025 // Diocese

White Mass Honors Health Care Workers

Andrea Krumanaker

Doctors, nurses, medical students, and other health professionals from throughout the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend gathered on Thursday, October 2, at the St. Mother Théodore Guérin Chapel in Fort Wayne for the annual White Mass, a celebration that honors those who serve the sick and suffering.

The White Mass is a Catholic tradition recognizing the unique vocation of health care workers, often connected with the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, patron of physicians. This year, the liturgy was celebrated on the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, a reminder of God’s protection and guidance. In Fort Wayne, the White Mass, which is sponsored by the Dr. Jerome Lejeune Catholic Medical Guild of Northeast Indiana, has become an annual opportunity to pray for and encourage those who provide medical care, often under difficult circumstances.

Andrea Krumanaker
Father Royce Gregerson, chaplain of the Dr. Jerome Lejeune Catholic Medical Guild of Northeast Indiana, celebrates the annual White Mass at the St. Mother Théodore Guérin Chapel in Fort Wayne on Thursday, October 2. The White Mass gathers health care workers to bless their healing work.

This year’s Mass was celebrated by Father Royce Gregerson, who reminded attendees that their calling as health care professionals is not only practical but deeply spiritual. The liturgy itself underscored that message, with the responsorial psalm proclaiming, “The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all of your ways.”

Preaching on the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, Father Gregerson drew attention to the presence of angels as both protectors and guides in the moral struggles of daily life.

“It is very appropriate to gather on the feast of the guardian angels,” he said. “In Scripture, angels appear not only as messengers but also as sources of consolation and strength. They guided Israel, they consoled Christ in the desert, and they are given to each of us to help us remain faithful in the battles we face.”

Father Gregerson, pastor of Our Lady of Good Hope Catholic Church in Fort Wayne, noted that those who work in medicine often confront ethical dilemmas and pressures, whether from institutions, peers, or the culture at large, that test their consciences. He urged health care workers to rely on their guardian angels for clarity and courage.

“When we are tempted to violate our conscience or pressured to compromise, our angels can help us discern the right path,” Father Gregerson said. “You face situations where life and death are in your hands. You are not alone in those moments. You have a guardian angel to intercede for you and strengthen you.”

The homily also reflected on the reality of spiritual warfare. Just as medical professionals battle disease and suffering in the physical world, Father Gregerson said, they are also called to be vigilant in the spiritual struggle against sin and evil.

“Powerful forces of evil exist in our world,” he said. “But our angels are with us in that battle, too, helping us to cultivate virtue and resist the vices that can wound our happiness.”

The White Mass included prayers of blessing for health care professionals and their families. Participants were reminded that the Catholic tradition regards healing as an extension of Christ’s ministry as the Divine Physician, a work that unites scientific skill with compassion and moral responsibility.

In closing, Father Gregerson encouraged those present to turn often to their guardian angels, both in their professional work and in their personal lives. He recalled his own reliance on angelic help, even during seminary, and reminded health care workers that their vocation often carries the weight of life and death. In those moments, he said, their angels can strengthen and guide them through the challenges they face.

As health care workers gathered at Mass, they were reminded not only of their crucial role in the physical well-being of others but also of their participation in the Church’s spiritual mission – namely, to defend the dignity of every human life and to serve with courage, compassion, and faith.