Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Manila (Agenzia Fides) – “The island of Samar is the poorest of the 7,000 islands of the Philippines, and yet, the feast of Saint Camillus, celebrated on July 14, has been an opportunity to witness and appreciate how much the sick, the common folk, the health care personnel, and many young Filipinos are interested and truly love the charism and spirituality of Saint Camillus.” This was what Agenzia Fides was told by Fr. Luigi Galvani, of the Camillian Fathers, who this year is celebrating his 40th anniversary of priesthood, 31 of which have been as a missionary in the Philippines. On the feast day of Saint Camillus, many parishes and hospitals celebrated the Day of the Sick and Health Care Workers. The young Camillian seminarians sang and organized the readings for the Mass, which was aired on television.
“Another encouraging aspect is the collaboration of the laity, both in the parishes and in the hospitals where are religious fathers work as chaplains,” Fr. Luigi continued. “Many of the laity are already members of the Camillian Lay Family in the Philippines. In February, there was a inaugural national meeting. There, they elected their representatives, some of whom have since participated in the international meeting held in April in Italy. I am impressed by their enthusiasm and their spirit of initiative in service towards the poor and the sick. They are very drawn towards the example of Saint Camillus, who saw “the face of Jesus” in the sick and the poor.”
One of the Camillian Lay Family’s most recent projects was the laying of the first stone for a small hospital/childcare center and clinic that will be built in the rural village of Manaoag, nearly 200 km from the capital. “There, our mission leads a school for nurses and midwives that has over 400 students,” Fr. Galvani mentioned. “The new service project will be available to many mothers who, due to a lack of sufficient health assistance, are still giving birth at home and will also be a ‘training camp’ for nursing and midwifery students.”
“This will be the third hospital that our mission in the Philippines has built during its nearly 33 years in the country,” Fr. Galvani stated. “In addition to the three hospitals, there are also three clinics, a center for the disabled, three houses of formation, a Center for training pastoral care workers, and 8 chaplains.” The Camillian Province of the Philippines currently has 60 religious, of which five work at the new mission, which opened just a few years ago, in Parramatta in Australia. “It is beautiful to see the fruits yielded from missionary lands; now we can send missionaries to other parts of the world. This is the path of the Gospel and we give thanks to the Lord,” Fr. Galvani concluded. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 31/7/2008)
