This below is the sermon for the special Carers’ Mass at Leeds Cathedral on Saturday 11th July 2026. You can watch the whole Mass on the YouTube channel of the Cathedral by clicking the button below.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today, we celebrate the Feast of St Benedict, the father of Western monasticism and Patron of Europe, but at this mass we also turn our hearts toward a group of people whose quiet holiness often goes unnoticed: informal carers—family members, friends, neighbours—who give their time, strength, and love to support those who cannot manage alone.
St. Benedict taught that holiness is found not in grand gestures but in faithful, daily acts of love. His Rule emphasises stability, humility, listening, and service. These are precisely the virtues lived—often heroically—by carers every single day.
Our first reading from the book of Proverbs speaks of seeking wisdom, of opening the heart to God’s instruction. ‘Wisdom’ in Holy Scripture is not cleverness; it is the art of living well, living faithfully, living lovingly.
Informal carers embody this wisdom. They may not have chosen their role, but they respond with courage. They may not feel strong, yet they carry burdens that others do not see. They may not speak of sacrifice, yet their lives are shaped by it.
This section from the Book of Proverbs promises that God “guards the path of the just.” Carers walk a path that is often hidden, exhausting, and emotionally demanding—yet God walks it with them. Their service is not unnoticed in heaven.
To-day we heard sections from Psalm 33 which reminds us that God is close to the broken hearted and those whose spirits are crushed. Many carers know what it is to feel stretched thin, to feel unseen, to feel overwhelmed. And yet, the psalm assures us that: God sees. God hears. God sustains.
Carers often become the face of God’s tenderness for the person they support. But God, in turn, becomes the strength that carers themselves need.
This psalm is not a promise that life will be easy. It is a promise that God will be present—in the long nights, the hospital corridors, the difficult conversations, the moments of doubt, and the moments of grace.
In our Gospel reading, Peter says to Jesus, “We have left everything and followed you.” Jesus responds with a promise: those who give of themselves for the sake of love will receive far more than they have given.
This is the Gospel truth lived by carers. They leave behind personal plans. They set aside ambitions. They sacrifice time, energy, sleep, and sometimes their own health.
And Jesus says: “You will be repaid a hundredfold.” Not necessarily with ease or comfort, but with a deeper grace: the grace of knowing that love—real love—costs something and is worth everything.
Carers live the Gospel not in words but in actions. They are living icons of Christ’s compassion.
St Benedict believed that every act, done with love and offered to God, becomes holy.
• Preparing a meal
• Helping someone dress
• Repeating the same reassurance for the tenth time
• Sitting beside someone who is afraid
• Managing medication, appointments, and crises
• Holding a hand in silence
These are Gospel acts. These are acts that build the Kingdom of God. St Benedict taught that the monastery should be a “school of the Lord’s service.” Carers live in that school every day.
So, Friends, to all carers among us:
Your work is sacred. Your patience is a prayer. Your sacrifices are seeds of grace. Your love reflects Christ’s own love.
And to the rest of us: We are called not only to admire carers but to support them— with respite, with understanding, with practical help, with advocacy, and with prayer.
The Church must be a place where carers are honoured, strengthened, and never left alone.
On this Feast of St Benedict, may we learn from his wisdom: that holiness is found in the ordinary, that love is lived in daily fidelity, and that God is present in every act of service.
May the Lord bless all carers with strength, peace, and the assurance that their hidden work shines brightly in the eyes of God.
Amen.
Rev. Dr. Joseph D Cortis, 11th July 2026
