The International Day of the Sick has an interesting history. On February 11, 1858, in Lourdes, after the apparitions of Our Lady to St. Bernadette Soubir, many believers received healing from illnesses. In 1992, St. John Paul 2 established this day in order to call upon the Church and society to provide care for the sick and infirm and to alleviate their suffering.

“(I) was sick, and you visited me... And the King will say to them in reply, "Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Matthew 25:36”

The face of the sick man is the face of the crucified Savior. There is so much sadness and sincere faith, hope and patience, forgiveness and example in the eyes of patients... From them we can learn to bear our cross in patience. Patients teach us to believe with all our being. They give us an example of quiet hope, which is the fruit of inner struggle and spiritual search. They enable us to learn to love without seeking our own.

Visiting the sick, caring for them and the sincere efforts of society to provide them with a dignified life is not only a respect for human rights, but also a Christian obligation.

On the occasion of the World Day of the Sick Caritas Moldova gave a wonderful gift to the hospital number 4 (Palliative Care Department) and elderly people with chronic diseases from the SAFE project. This gift is paintings made by children and young people from 14 to 21 years old within the "Healing Art" contest.

Art is a powerful way to say that we want to be there for people in pain, they are dear and important to us.

"The guys brought me an angel, and after all, my name means 'angel.' They couldn't have known that. I think God himself arranged it," says a patient who was touched by the gift our volunteers brought her.