NEWSLETTER 61 – JULY 2019
273 Years after the Canonisation of St. Camillus: the First Camillian Woman Saint – Giuseppina Vannini!
Dearest Religious Brothers and Sisters of the great family of St. Camillus,
The celebration of the liturgical feast day of our saint, Father Camillus, leads us, in addition to giving praise to God for the gift of such a great saint, to reclaim our charism in order to make it increasingly alive and relevant today, so that it may continue to produce fruits in us and through us in all those who need our help.
To illuminate our journey on this pathway of life and giving we have, in addition to our father St. Camillus, our Blesseds, our Venerables and our Servants of God, as well as an array of religious brothers and sisters who through the example of their lives, more than by words, knew how to express the Gospel of the Good Samaritan in the different contexts and circumstances in which they implemented it.
Amongst the very many personalities who have stood out in the exercise of the charism of charity, one in particular attracts our attention today – the Blessed Giuseppina Vannini, the Founder of our Congregation of the Daughters of St. Camillus, who on 13 October next will be proclaimed a SAINT by Pope Francis.
It is with immense joy that I want to share with you this great grace that the Lord has deigned to grant to our religious family. A daughter faithful to St. Camillus who equals the Father of our Congregation 272 years after his canonisation!
This event is also a sign of the fertility and further authenticity of an ancient but always new charism that continues to mark the history of holiness of the Church in general and our religious family in particular. And we hope that soon other very fine examples of men and women Camillians can also shine before the people of God.
There are 309 years between the birth of St. Camillus and the birth of the Blessed Giuseppina Vannini and yet in their lives we find various points of convergence. The first thing that catches the eye is the situation of being orphans which both of them experienced. Camillus became an orphan on the death of his mother when he was thirteen years old, and after the death of his father he was alone in the world. Giuseppina Vannini lost her father when she was four years old and her mother when she was seven, and thus she was taken to an orphanage. The search for their vocations, albeit in various forms; having the doors of the religious houses where they wanted to remain shut to them – St. Camillus with the Capuchin friars and Giuseppina Vannini with the Daughters of Charity; and then the opening up of a horizon to a certain extent expected but never imagined: creating a new reality that was to change things then and later, taking care of suffering man in his totality of soul and body, and also changing the history of health care!
ANNUAL LITURGICAL FEAST DAY OF ST. CAMILLUS DE LELLIS – 14 JULY 2019
To consult the programmes for the celebrations of this feast day of St. Camillus click here
Pictures of the feast day in our Camillian communities. click here
Interview with Fr. Gianfranco Lunardon on the extraordinary figure of ‘the Saint of the Sick’, his legacy and the contemporary relevance of his charism. click here
LAY CAMILLIAN FAMILY
The International Commission for the LCF met at the Maddalena, the General House for the Order of St Camillus for their annual meeting from 24-28 June 2019.
During this time we reviewed the interim International Assembly of LCF’s held in Rome last October (2018). This was a very joyful and successful gathering, allowing more than 60 representatives from Lay Camillian Families from 23 countries to participate and share their collective experiences.
We received and accepted an invitation from Latin American Lay Camillian Families to join them for the VI Latin American Meeting which will take place in Lima from 24-27 October 2019. The theme for their meeting “ The Pearl of Charity in our hands today” is a theme that the Central Commission and all lay Camillian Families can reflect on in the coming months.
DELEGATION IN KENYA
Two events took place in Karungu last weekend. Firstly, the entrance into the novitiate of two Kenyan novices on 13 July 2019. Their names are as follows:
- Silvester WASONGA ONYANGO
- Johnstone ODHIAMBO OOKO
- Geoffrey ONGERA NYAGWOMO
- Denis ONYANGO OUMA
The next day, 14 July 2014, the following Kenyan novices made their temporary vows:
- Camillus MBEVI KAVITI
- Francis NDICHU MURUO
The ceremony took place in Karungu at the St. Camillus Mission Hospital. The two new professed were welcomed into the Order of Camillians by the Delegate of Kenya, Fr. Dominic Mwanzia. Amongst the concelebrants there stood out our new confrere who has just arrived from India and has been entrusted with formation in Uganda: the Indian Fr. Babychan Pazhanilat, an emeritus member of the General Consulta.
Five Ugandan novices, who can be seen in the photographs, will make their temporary vows in Jinja (Uganda) on 30 July 2019.
THE DELEGATION IN FRANCE
I camilliani della delegazione francese hanno organizzato due giorni di incontri per riflettere sul loro futuro. Guidati nella discussione dalla signora Sylvia Gollini, esperta di comunicazione, l’incontro ha permesso di fare il punto sul lavoro della Provincia e sul suo carisma, oltre a delineare alcune indicazioni da seguire. CONTINUA QUI
THE PROVINCE OF SPAIN
On the occasion of the feast day of 14 July, the day when we commemorate the going to heaven of our Founder, St. Camillus, and to celebrate the printing and the publication of the translation into Spanish of Vita di San Camillo (‘The Life of St. Camillus’) by Fr. Mario Vanti, Br. J.C. Bermejo, the Delegate General of the Camillian Province of Spain, sent this video message to the whole of our Camillian Family – enjoy watching it!
PROVINCIAL NEWSLETTERS
Download here the newsletter of the Province of the Philippines.
Download here the newsletter of the Delegation in Peru.
Download here the newsletter of the Delegation in Keny.
THE PROVINCE OF NORTH ITALY
For a decade (a small anniversary) Fr. Simone Skawiński has been engaged in service for the sick in the Hospital of Galliera and since 2009 he has been a part of the chaplaincy. This chaplaincy has three priests, a permanent deacon, and a group of volunteers now made up of four extraordinary women ministers of the Eucharist. This has been a very important and indeed unique experience of cooperation between priests and lay volunteers who bring spiritual benefits to our sick people. All the patients receive a visit twice a week from a lay person and a priest. A personal visit is made to the patients of the hospital who await us in the wards.
THE DELEGATION IN TAIWAN
This year over 600 young students have been awarded their diplomas in nursing at the ‘Camillian’ School for Nurses in Lotung (Taiwan).
Our young confrere Khhanh was awarded a degree in theology. At the beginning of July he went back to Vietnam – he is a member of the Delegation of that country – to prepare for his ordination as a priest which is planned for 17 August of this year.
Father Didonè recently met a Chinese bishop in order to talk about a clinic that was built some years ago by the Camillians and then donated to the diocese. As there are now many candidates from China, the decision was taken to begin talks with the diocese to take back the building which will have the purpose of accommodating new candidates and in the future creating a new Camillian community.
Recently, the sixty-third anniversary of the consecration of the church of Tung Hao, which was recently acquired by the Camillians, was celebrated.
A technology company recently donated to the Camillians new equipment for the hospital in Chiaoshi as an expression of gratitude for the work done by our religious for the very poor and those most in difficulty.
On 12 July there was an advance celebration of the feast day of St. Camillus. This took place in the morning and was held in the centre for handicapped people with the celebration of two baptisms. In the afternoon, at St. Mary’s Hospital, awards were given to our co-workers who have worked with us over the last 10, 20, 30 or 40 years.
DELEGATION IN VIETNAM
The opening of a building for sick and poor people was inaugurated in the Camillian community who live in the southern part of Vietnam (6 July 2019).
This building has a capacity of about 120 beds. This community is a polyclinic that has about 180 patients every day.
This is a clinic where the patients pay only 20% of the real costs and those who do not have money or are poor can ask our Camillian priest whose responsibility it is to check the case and give money to pay for the treatment. Usually, the patients pay about two American dollars which is equivalent to 120 Indian rupees.
THE PROVINCE OF SICILY AND NAPLES
Our confrere Fr. Dario Malizia will be consecrated a priest at 10.00 on 14 September of this year in the cathedral of Palermo by the Archbishop, Msgr. Corrado Lorefice.
THE PROVINCE OF BRAZIL
We have celebrated the seventieth anniversaries of the ordination as priests of Fr. Carlos Alberto Pigatto and Fr. Lydio Milani. Fr. Lydio currently lives in the diocese of Caçador SC. On 9 July 1949 eleven Camillian religious were ordained as priests, amongst whom Fr. Calisto Vendrame (a future Superior General).
THE CAMILLIAN COMMUNUNTY IN UGANDA
On 30 July the Camillians in Uganda will celebrate the perpetual profession of Tusabe Bernard and Peter Owakubariho and the first religious profession of Ojok Isaac, Batambuze Rogers, Mate Jonous, Okello Isaac and Abaho Felix.
PROVINCIA INDIANA
22 new buds have blossomed in the garden of St. Camillus Novitiate. The 22 Pre-Novices entered novitiate on the eve of the birthday of St. Camillus, during the Holy Eucharist that was solemnly celebrated in the Snehadaan chapel. Rev. Fr. Jaison Narikkuzhi MI welcomed everyone to the ceremony. The main celebrant was Rev.Fr. Christopher Surin MI. It was his first eucharistic celebration in the Snehadaan community. He also delivered a meaningful homily. After the homily Rev. Fr. Baby Illickal MI, the Provincial, admitted the pre-novices to the novitiate. The novices were given a Holy Bible, the Breviary, the Life of St. Camillus and a Rosary during the ceremony. Fr. Sunil and Fr. Savari, the Novice master and the Asst. Novice Master, were present together with many other Camillian confreres. After the mass there was the blessing and inauguration of the new auditorium. The parents and the relatives of those brothers who were going to be professed on the following day also witnessed the function.
La testimonianza dei novizi
On 25th of May 2019, nine of the Novices have received the temporary profession. The long-awaited dream and desire of all of us to receive the Camillian Cassock and become the members of Camillian Religious community has come to its fulfillment.
In this year of novitiate, we have spent our life meaningfully in prayer and ministry, with the help of our novice master Fr. Sunil and our spiritual directors. This helped us to grow in our spiritual life. It was graceful moment living together with all the fathers of the community sharing ups and downs of our lives. This helped us to know about our Camillian way of life.
We had eight days of retreat as preparation for temporary profession, which helped us to take this choice of Camillian religious life. With the full knowledge and free will we, Ajin Joseph, Albin Thomas, Albin K Joseph, Bimal Nayak, Dipak Lakra, Fedric Bara, Nitesh Kispotta, Rahul Nayak, and Sikendra Singh, dedicated our life for the service of God on 25th May 2019. Rev. Fr. Baby Ellickal, Provincial of St. Camillus Province, India accepted our Profession in the presence of Fr.Sunil, Novice Master, Fr.Lijo, Vicar Provincial. There were many Camillian conferers and the family members to pray and witness our Profession.
DELEGATION IN INDONESIA
From the site www.cuoreamico.org
On the Island of Flores, in Indonesia, our Camillian religious are involved in improving the lives of mentally ill people who live in terrible conditions.
Mentally ill people are forced to live in inhuman conditions. On the Island of Flores (Indonesia) [Link] these unhappy individuals are forced to live in tents or in huts, chained up or with one of their feet trapped between the two trunks of felled trees, exposed to bad weather, mosquitoes and other insects. There, day and night, they live, sleep, urinate and defecate. To this are added physical suffering, psychological difficulties and social isolation. Some of these sick people have been in this state for months, some for a few years and one even for forty years
PUBLISHING NEWS
The work of our confrere Fr. Felice Ruffini, a Camillian religious of the Province of Rome, has finally been published. For years he has been collecting documents, testimonies and curiosities relating to our founder saint and the Camillian world. We thank Fr. Felice for his great contribution.
DECEASED RELIGIOUS
See, now they vanish, the faces and places, with the self which, as it could, loved them. To become renewed, transfigured, in another pattern’ (T.S. Eliot).
The women Ministers of the sick of Saint Camillus have announced the death of Sister Sebastiana Careddu which took place on 26 June 2019 at the Casa Betania in Lucca. Sr. Sebastiana was 86 years old and had spent 58 years as a woman religious.
The Daughters of St. Camillus have announced the death of Sister Costantina Guerreschi which took place in their community of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Sister Costantina was 94 years old. She was a woman religious for 70 years and since 1983 she had been a zealous woman missionary in Argentina.
‘Now they live in Christ whom they met in the Church, followed in our vocation, and served in the sick and the suffering. Trusting that the Lord, the Holy Virgin our Queen, St. Camillus, the Blessed Luigi Tezza, the Blessed Giuseppina Vannini, and our deceased religious brothers and sisters, will welcome them in their midst, we commend them in our prayers, remembering them with affection, esteem and gratitude’.
PRAYER FOR THE VICTIMS OF ALL TYPES OF DISASTERS – CADIS
For all the victims of all types of disasters, for people who have lost their lives, for their loved ones, for the survivors, and for all those who work to provide help, we pray: God in heaven, who has created and who preserves every existence, you know all of our sadness and our suffering. May all the victims of all types of disasters be welcomed in your peace! Receive, we pray, in your mercy, our very many brothers and sisters buried by the forces unleashed by nature. Lead them to your home! Comfort the pain of so many families, dry the tears of so many brothers and sisters, offer protection to the loneliness of so many orphans. Instil courage into everyone so that pain is transformed into a journey of growth and hope. Generate in the hearts of Christians and all men and women of good will the wish to act so that the wounded and those who suffer because of these calamities experience the comfort of fraternal solidarity. You who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory.
