Prayers for archbishop, all the sick are focus of Indianapolis novena

Published: 2008-02-04

INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- Catholics across the Indianapolis Archdiocese were invited to take part in a novena to pray for Indianapolis Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein and all of the sick, beginning Feb. 3. The special archdiocesan novena was, in part, initiated because of the recent discovery that Archbishop Buechlein is suffering from Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer affecting the lymphatic system. The novena was to end Feb. 11, observed by the church as World Day of the Sick since 1993. It also is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, one of the church's primary patron saints of the sick. A special noon Mass was to be celebrated that day at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral. Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general, said the archbishop's illness can be a reminder of the need to pray for all the sick. "I can't think of a person who hasn't been affected by cancer among their family or friends," Msgr. Schaedel told The Criterion, newspaper of the Indianapolis Archdiocese. "There are just so many people we hear about who have cancer or some other very serious illness. And we really do need to pray for them."

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