The annual Catholic Mass for those affected by cancer is open to people of all faiths, according to organizers with the nonprofit Celebration of Hope of Western Mass Comittee.
SPRINGFIELD – Hundreds of people who have been touched by cancer are expected to attend next month's interfaith Pink Mass and Celebration of Hope at St. Michael's Cathedral, according to organizers of the Sept. 14 event.
This is the third annual Pink Mass held at the Roman Catholic cathedral at 260 State St. The 4 p.m. Mass is being offered for those who've been affected by cancer in any way, whether they're cancer survivors or family members of cancer survivors or victims.
After the Mass, a Celebration of Hope gala dinner will be held at 6 p.m. at the Springfield Lodge of Elks #61 at 440 Tiffany St. in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. Dinner tickets ($20 for adults, $5 for children 12 and younger) can be purchased online at www.celebrationofhope.org. They also are available by calling Joyce Stavros at (413) 783-9810 or by emailing Barb Turcotte at bdt514@aol.com.
The Pink Mass and gala dinner events are partly sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield and the nonprofit Celebration of Hope of Western Mass Committee, the latter of which founded the event in 2011 and held its first Pink Mass in October of that year.
The Mass will be broadcast on Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. on "Chalice of Salvation," the weekly diocesan program that airs on WWLP-22News.
Area residents and members from a variety of cancer support agencies are expected to gather to pray for cancer survivors and remember those who passed away, according to organizers.
Springfield resident Jennifer Klock Rossmiller, a member of the Celebration of Hope Committee who was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago, said being proactive in the fight against cancer has been therapeutic.
"My diagnosis left me feeling powerless and out of control," Rossmiller said. "Being part of the Celebration of Hope has made me feel like I am taking some of that control back. More importantly, I want to show my children that if you want something, you have to fight for it."
Money raised through the gala dinner will be distributed to local charities dedicated to combating cancer.