Staten Island, NYC Catholics: First White Mass For Caregivers, Healthcare Workers Presided Over By New Archbishop Hicks

Below is the homily: 

HOMILY:

Our God is not God of the dead, but God of the living. These are the words that Jesus shares with us today in the gospel, that our God is the God of the living, and what is He saying to us is that God, who is the giver of life. God, who is the creator of all things and all of us. God, His Son won the victory. Therefore, death has no power over us because of Jesus’ life, suffering, death, and resurrection, he shares with those who believe in him the gift of life eternal. And so, we as believers, even though we know that life here in this world is not the end. We never discard it or throw it away. We are protectors and promoters of the dignity of life, from the beginning, from conception to a natural death, we love life. Life is the greatest gift from God, and He sent His son to give us life eternally. No matter what your role is in the healthcare community, if you are a giver, a receiver, however you participate in the healthcare community, I want you to know that your work is both important and holy. Your care for people’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs with skill, compassion, and respect are a true vocation. It is not just a job. It is not just a career. This is the way of living God’s calling, following Christ the healer in our world and in your lives. We also know that this life here, this life that we participate in, it’s not the end. We are all in this life through our ups and our downs, our good and our bad, our health and our sickness. All of us are on the journey of salvation to eternal life. We celebrate that today at this mass with great faith. Just yesterday, there was a funeral mass for a priest that I’ve known since the beginning of my creation. I’ve known him for 32 years. He died after 94 years of living life, gave his life with great joy and zeal and service and faith and hope and love to the priesthood and to God’s church and to God’s people. And yesterday was his funeral. And the thing I know about him was he died in peace because he believes in eternal life. I also know about him that because he was aware he was dying, he planned everything with his funeral, from the music to the readings, to who was going to be the pallbearers. He put his finger on every single detail, but yesterday late at night, when I watched his funeral mass live stream that was recorded on YouTube, the funeral was in Chicago, I watched it, and there was a wonderful part where at the end of the mass the priest read a list of gratitude that he wanted to have expressed with those he had shared the journey with. And as I listened to it last night, it just struck me that he had part of his gratitude at his own funeral mass of thanking all the people who took care of his health his entire life. He said, “thank you for those who helped bring him into the world, those who help keep him healthy, so that he can live a life of service to others. And then, in the last year of his life, he needed to enter independent living, then assisted living, and then finally hospice. He intentionally thanked all the people who have been walking with him in the journey of health his entire life. As I watched it, I was touched by his words of gratitude to all of them, and I immediately thought of all of you, all of you with whom we are celebrating this mass today. So, as he expressed gratitude yesterday, I want to express the same gratitude to each and every one of you, no matter what stage you are in, for your participating in health care ministry and community. So, I ask you, I ask God today to bless you, to bless you with strength when you are weary, patience when challenged, calm when chaos comes, clarity in difficult decisions, hope in struggle, and joy when the road seems tough. And thank God through the intercession of Our Lady of Good Health, through her son, Christ the Healer, bless you today and always, for our God is the God of the living, leading us from this life to life eternal.

 

 

Remarks before the service by ArchCare President Scott LaRue, whose interview can be found below: 

Good morning, Your Excellency Archbishop Hicks, clergy, religious sisters and brothers, healthcare leaders, board members, benefactors, caregivers, families, and friends.

Thank you for gathering at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral for this Annual White Mass, when we honor the men and women whose daily work is caring for others: physicians, nurses, aides, therapists, social workers, chaplains, volunteers, administrators, support staff, and all those who serve the sick, the aging, the disabled, and the vulnerable.

This Mass is not only for ArchCare. It is for the broader healthcare community represented here today — hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, hospice and palliative care programs, community health organizations, Catholic ministries, and partners across the continuum of care. Each of you carries a different responsibility, but all of you share a common calling: to meet people at moments of need and to respond with skill, compassion, and respect.

In a time when healthcare is often measured by systems, metrics, algorithms and scarcity, today reminds us that healing still begins with presence: one person caring for another. The work of caring represented in this Cathedral is not easy. It asks for patience when people are afraid, steadiness when resources are stretched, and hope when suffering cannot be fully removed. This work is holy.

We are especially grateful that this is our first White Mass with Archbishop Hicks. Your presence affirms the Church’s enduring commitment to those who care and those who are cared for. It also reminds us that Catholic healthcare is not simply a service line or institution; it is a ministry rooted in the healing compassion of Jesus.

Today we also mark a sacred and tender transition. After 74 years of faithful service at Mary Manning Walsh, the Carmelite Sisters are entrusting this beloved ministry to future generations of skilled and compassionate caregivers. We cannot let this moment pass without deep gratitude.

From the beginning, the Carmelite Sisters helped shape Mary Manning Walsh into a place of holistic care — not only medical care, but social, spiritual, emotional, rehabilitative, recreational, and personal care. Their vision was remarkably forward-looking. They understood that older adults do not stop growing in mind and spirit. They understood that dignity includes privacy, independence, security, familiar habits, and the right to feel at home.

One line from their early approach says so much: “Our convenience is secondary to their happiness.” That was not a slogan. It was a way of life. It meant that care was organized around the person, not the institution. It meant listening before acting. It meant seeing the whole person, not only the diagnosis, the room number, or the task list.

The Sisters’ witness is also a reminder that healthcare is sustained by communities of commitment. The Sisters did not serve alone. They formed staff, guided programs, welcomed physicians and caregivers, and created an environment where everyone had a part in the ministry of care. That legacy now belongs to all of us.

Their transition does not end their witness. It extends it. The best way to thank the Carmelite Sisters is to carry forward what they embodied: reverence for each person, steadfast service, humility, fidelity, and the conviction that every human life is sacred.

At this time, I would ask the Carmelite Sisters who are with us today to please stand, so that we may recognize you and thank you for your extraordinary service, your faithful witness, and the love you have given so generously to Mary Manning Walsh and to the people of New York.

To every caregiver and healthcare worker gathered here: thank you. Your work is demanding, often unseen, and deeply holy.

May this White Mass renew all of us in courage, compassion, and accountability. May God bless every caregiver, every patient, every family, and every minister of healing represented here today. And may we continue, together, to be people who care.

 

 

 

Transcript
Interview with Archbishop Hicks by The Good Newsroom
White Mass – Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
Journalist: Mary Shovlain
June 3, 2026

Q: What do you want all healthcare workers to know about the dignity of the people they serve?

Hicks:
I took the opportunity at this Mass not only to thank everyone who is part of the healthcare community, but also to bless them, because at times it can get weary and frustrating. And as they’re caring with skill and compassion and respect to so many, I want God to bless them and to fill them so that they can continue to give, to persevere and really be true ministers of Christ, the healer, in the world.

I thank God for all of the ministry that our health care workers give through ArchCare and throughout this archdiocese and throughout the world, and really at this White Mass. I ask God to bless everyone who is giving and receiving health care in the name of the Lord.

Q: What qualities of the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm did you want to highlight today?

Hicks:
We also had the opportunity at this Mass to really thank and bless the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. They have a witness, a legacy of giving with their hearts, of healing and of being true ministers who are meeting people when they need it the most. And as we continue to pray with them, we ask God that their legacy continues for generations and generations to come.

(END)

 

 

Transcript
Interview with Scott LaRue by The Good Newsroom
White Mass – Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
Journalist: Mary Shovlain
June 3, 2026

Q: Why was it important for you to take this moment to honor the wonderful work of the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm?

LaRue:

Well, the Carmelite sisters have been a part of arch care in the Catholic health care system, literally, since its inception. They’ve been a key, part of the growth of Arch care. And they set the tone for the love, the compassion and the holistic approach to caring for the people that we serve. And I have such gratitude for what they have done for the people we serve, arch care and for the lasting impression they will have made on what real care means at the bedside and how to care for the individual in a holistic way versus just a transactional health care, approach.

Q: What do you think healthcare workers can learn from the Sisters approach to care?

LaRue:

Well, first, it’s about recognizing the person as an individual. And just because they may be aged or infirmed, it doesn’t mean that their mind and spirit is not full, bright and continuing to grow. And the Carmelite sisters embodied that in their interactions and love for the people that are served.

Q: How does ArchCare work to keep the human person at the very center of the health care discussion, instead of reducing the person to data, numbers, and AI?

LaRue:

Well, we bring the spiritual component to the people that we serve. We serve their families. We serve them. We treat what brought them to us and what could bring them back to us in the future, and how to help them remain independent, loving and involved in their communities. And that that’s just done through, again, looking at the body and spirit of the individual, not just their health care needs.

(END)

 

 

Below is the history of the location, now part of ArchCare:

Mary Manning Walsh & Carmelite Sisters History:

Established in 1952 by the Carmelite Sisters in a former orthopedic hospital on East 59th Street, the Mary Manning Walsh (MMW) Home moved to its current location on York Avenue in 1967 as a pioneering, mission-driven nursing home. It became a leading rehabilitation center, notably partnering with Dr. Howard Rusk. Today, it is part of ArchCare.

Key Historical & Developmental Milestones:

• Foundation: The first Mary Manning Walsh Home was established in 1952 by the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and the Infirm, an order dedicated to caring for the elderly poor.
• The Move to York Avenue: In 1967, the home was rebuilt on East 71st Street and York Avenue as the first facility constructed under a new $100-million loan program for voluntary nursing homes authorized by Governor Rockefeller.
• Leadership and Mission: Sister Bernadette de Lourdes was the first administrator, partnering with Dr. Howard A. Rusk to develop innovative rehabilitation systems.
• Modernization: Over the last 60+ years, the home has evolved from a traditional nursing home into a leading sub-acute care setting. It currently serves as a renowned rehabilitation center with affiliations with institutions like the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK).
• Recent Upgrades: Recent developments include the renovation of the Emerald Terrace and the addition of specialized services, including Alzheimer’s care, according to ArchCare.

The facility is now a prominent part of ArchCare, the Archdiocese of New York’s healthcare ministry.

 

The Mary Manning Walsh Home was established in 1952 by the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. Originally located in the former New York Orthopedic Hospital on East 59th Street, the home was named after the wife of Thomas J. Walsh, a prominent benefactor.

Founding and Early History

• Establishment: The home was founded under the leadership of Mother M. Bernadette de Lourdes, following the Carmelite Sisters’ mission that began in New York in 1929.
• The Original Building: The first facility on East 59th Street was a renovated hospital purchased from the Salvation Army and designed to house roughly 320 geriatric residents.
• The Namesake: Thomas J. Walsh donated a significant sum to the Archdiocese of New York to honor his wife, Mary Manning Walsh. Legend says that when Cardinal Spellman heard the amount of the gift, he told Walsh, “For this amount, we don’t give plaques. We give buildings!”. Walsh himself later spent his final five years as a resident of the home.

Relocation and Modern Development

• Current Location: In 1967, a new, modern facility was built at its current location on 72nd Street and York Avenue.

Below is the official Press Release for the event:

 

Archbishop Hicks Celebrates First White Mass as Archbishop of New York, Honoring Healthcare Professionals and the Carmelite Sisters’ Legacy

More Than 1,000 Attend Annual White Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral; Livestream Draws Over 3,800 Viewers

NEW YORK, NY— More than 1,000 healthcare professionals, caregivers, clergy, religious sisters, and community members gathered at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral for the annual White Mass on Wednesday, June 3^rd, 2026, celebrated by Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks in his first White Mass as Archbishop of New York. Hosted by ArchCare, the continuing care community of the Archdiocese of New York, the Mass honored healthcare workers and family caregivers whose service supports individuals, families, and communities throughout New York.

The annual White Mass is one of the Archdiocese’s longstanding traditions honoring the healthcare professionals and caregivers whose work supports individuals and families during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.

An additional 3,800 people joined the celebration through a livestream broadcast.

A Catholic tradition dating back to the late nineteenth century, the White Mass takes its name from the white coats worn by medical professionals and serves as a moment of prayer, reflection, and gratitude for those called to care for others. The liturgy included a special blessing for healthcare professionals and recognition of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm at Mary Manning Walsh Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center.

In his homily, Archbishop Hicks reflected on healthcare as a vocation rooted in service and faith.

“Your care for people’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs with skill, compassion, and respect is a true vocation,” Archbishop Hicks said. “It is not just a job. It is not just a career. This is God’s calling, following Christ to heal in our world.”

Following the Mass, Archbishop Hicks said he hoped healthcare workers left the cathedral feeling supported in their ministry. “I want God to bless them and to fill them so that they can continue to give, to persevere and really be true ministers of Christ, the healer, in the world.”

This year’s White Mass also marked a significant moment of recognition for the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, who have served at Mary Manning Walsh Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center for 74 years.

“The Carmelite Sisters have a witness, a legacy of giving with their hearts, of healing and of being true ministers who are meeting people when they need it the most,” Archbishop Hicks said. “We ask God that their legacy continues for generations to come.”

ArchCare President and Chief Executive Officer Scott LaRue said the Carmelite Sisters’ legacy helped shape both ArchCare and its approach to person-centered care.

“The Carmelite Sisters have been a part of ArchCare in the Catholic health care system, literally, since its inception,” LaRue said. “They’ve been a key part of the growth of ArchCare. And they set the tone for the love, the compassion, and the holistic approach to caring for the people that we serve.”

LaRue said the Sisters’ example remains especially important at a time when healthcare can become increasingly focused on systems, data, and transactions.

“They have made a lasting impression on what real care means at the bedside and how to care for the individual in a holistic way versus just a transactional health care approach,” LaRue said.

Archbishop Hicks concluded the Mass with a prayer for all those engaged in healthcare ministry.

“I ask God today to bless you with strength when you are weary, patience when challenged, calm when chaos comes, clarity in difficult decisions, hope in struggle, and joy when the road seems tough.”

The White Mass concluded with a special blessing for healthcare professionals and caregivers, recognizing their service to patients, families, and communities across New York.

A replay of the White Mass livestream is available at: Annual White Mass | June 3rd 2026

About ArchCare

ArchCare is the Continuing Care Community of the Archdiocese of New York, and one of the nation’s largest and most dynamic Catholic healthcare systems. ArchCare provides quality care to thousands of people of all faiths through its home and community-based and residential care programs, including their Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) nursing home alternative, adult day care, long-term skilled nursing care, short-term rehabilitation, home care, assisted living, hospice, an acute care specialty hospital and services for people with Huntington’s disease, HIV/AIDS, developmental disabilities, and other specialized care needs.

Visit archcare.org for more information.

 

Banner Image: White Mass. Image Credit – ArchCare