We the representatives of the LCF coming from 22 different countries gathered here in Villa Primavera, the beautiful property of the Handmaids of the Incarnation, send joyful greetings to all members of the Great Family of St Camillus de Lellis. It has been a joyful experience to meet people from many diverse origins. This mosaic of faces, races and cultures is much broader than other occasions and has enriched our gathering.

We were privileged to attend the canonisation of seven new saints at mass in St Peter’s Square, the most notable of whom were Pope Paul VI and Oscar Arnulfo Romero on Sunday 14 October 2018.

We were overjoyed that the Father General Leocir Pessini was present to give the opening address. We were happy that Fr Angelo Brusco and Fr Frank Monks, former Superior Generals of the Order along with Isabel Calderon and Rosabianca Carpene, former presidents of the International LCF were also present.

Despite his current illness, Father Leocir addressed our assembly and encouraged us to be joyful and move forward. In his message he invited us to be joyful and ready to share the reason for our hope, (1 Pt. 3,15) in Christ. Father Leocir encouraged us to “remember that you lay people, who take your inspiration from St Camillius, are the future of the Camillian charism in many parts of the world where the Camillian religious have yet to reach. You the laity are the promise of a fuller reality that will bring more just and improved healthcare as envisaged by St Camillus.”

He told us to remember that we will be joyful and hope filled because we have been invited to witness to the Gospel by caring for the sick. He encouraged us to listen in order to discover, understand and respond to the sign of the times, and in the process hear the Heart of God. Father Leocir himself, through his presence with us, is a beacon of hope, and we share this hope with you.

This is our prayer to the Lord, through our Lady Health of the Sick and St. Camillus.

May the Good Lord bless our Camillian Family to be ever more faithful in our service to the sick.

The participants at the Extraordinary General Assembly October 15-19 October 2018

PHOTOGALLERY