ORLANDO | After receiving the Anointing of the Sick many at the Pilgrimage of the Sick walked away unable to contain their joy, others restraining tears of gratitude and hope. It was as if they were illuminated from within, imbued with the peace of the Holy Spirit.

The second annual Pilgrimage of the Sick Feb. 15, 2025, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe welcomed the hopeful, despairing, and those praying for others.

Opening the talk on suffering was basilica rector and Missionary of Mercy Father Anthony Aarons. He shared his own ills — a flu turned into bronchitis leaving him with little voice, and the loss of his younger brother earlier in the week.

“Sickness is a reality,” he said. “We either run away from it or run toward it. In embracing it we realize we are not traveling alone. So, we turn to God and ask for the healing graces of body, mind, and spirit.”

In a beautiful testimony of faith and surrender, Father Miguel González, rector of St. James Cathedral, recounted his own battle with fear and surrender when he learned of his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis at age 37.

“Some illnesses we cause ourselves by not taking care of our bodies or not eating right. We can’t blame God. We’ve made poor choices,” he said. “But there are other illnesses that provide us an opportunity to discover that, though we had no choice in the matter, God has made Himself present and is here to bring us comfort in the midst of our struggles. Illnesses are opportunities for redemption, for us to feel the transformative, healing power of a God who loves us.”

Recalling speaking with the late Msgr. Ed Thompson about his diagnosis at the time, the monsignor told him something Father González. Then the vocations director, did not expect to hear, “Embrace the gift.”

He asked the monsignor, “What is the gift revealed in the midst of that painful reality that affects my central nervous system?”

Msgr. Thompson told him, “You are joining your sufferings to the sufferings of Christ.” He explained a redemptive grace would be revealed. Father González testified to those blessings of an increase in vocations and how he still uses his condition as a prayer for other people.

He encouraged those present to view their suffering as a gift to strengthen their faith, as a path to intimacy with Christ, joining it to Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Father González assured they would discover, “the One who sustains us and keeps us afloat.”

“Fix your eyes on the cross of Jesus. In it you find God’s generous response to our prayers. He gave us His Son, fully, for a lifetime. The truth is He is closer than we can imagine, think or be. He is the one carrying us through the difficult, challenging moments of our lives when we experience illness and physical weakness,” he said.

Echoing the words of Pope Francis, Father González assured, “The gift of hope does not disappoint because hope is a person. Hope has a face. Hope is Jesus Christ. The call is to pray, to pray, and to pray.”

Following the talk there was time for reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, then the community prayed a rosary, spoken in English, Tagalog and Spanish.

Sally Pickering came with her husband, Bob. No stranger to pilgrimages for the sick, she prayed for her husband, for the improvement of her fibromyalgia, and a slowing down of a hereditary disease causing her to lose her sight.

Father Aarons said he was moved by those who returned after last year’s inaugural pilgrimage. He told of one woman who came with stomach issues last year. Feeling some relief, she returned in gratitude and prayed for additional healing.

Another woman required nose surgery and was in pain and on heavy medication. She hoped with the day’s healing, doctors might be able to reduce the dosage.

“There were some stories without words, expressed through tears,” recalled Father Aarons. Among those were Wanda Arce of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Kissimmee. It was her first Pilgrimage of the Sick. She came for her daughter, Sarai, afflicted with osteogenesis imperfecta, known as brittle bone disease.

“Of course, I know God has a plan for her, so I trust in His Word that He is taking care of her,” Arce said. Also praying for others who are sick she noted, “We all need healing, not just from the body, but from the soul and mostly that is what I’m here for. God does everything correctly, so I’m just glad to be here.”

Pilgrimage of the Sick is celebrated the first Saturday after the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, Feb. 11. It was a visit to Lourdes that inspired Father Aarons to begin the annual pilgrimage at the basilica.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, February 21, 2025