After spending the first Sunday of the General Chapter in fraternity, its members returned to immersing themselves in their deliberations. There began today the first of the two decisive weeks which will witness subjects of the agenda being addressed (the revision of the Constitution and the General Statutes and the Camillian Project) and the members of the General Consulta being elected. Today, however, was the day of the reports of the outgoing General Consulta. With the reports of the Offices of the Curia almost finished (still to be heard only the report of the Dean of the Camillianum Institute for the Theology of Pastoral Care in Health), at the podium the Consultors, the heads of the various Secretariats, followed one another. At the end of the day a paper of the Superior General was given, traditionally called the Status Ordinis (the state of the Order).

Fr. A. Brusco, a former Superior General of the Order, sat at the centre of the podium as the chairman of the day’s deliberations, a task he performed with great skill and precision.

Fr. J. Ruiz Irigoyen, the Vicar General, read his report on his variegated role: as the first helper of the Superior General; as the Procurator General with the Holy See; as the spiritual assistant of the Lay Camillian Family; as the editor of the review Camilliani/s; and as the coordinator of the committees for the revision of the Constitution and the General Statutes and for the drawing up of the Camillian Project.

Br. L. Perletti, the General Secretary, read a summary of the activities of the General Secretariat, with especial reference being made to the work directed towards the conservation, the organisation and the appreciation of the large amount of material in the archives, the most evident result of which has been the imminent completion of the research on the history of the Order through the historic Provinces which will be published in eight volumes (three of them have already been published).

Without moving from the podium, Fr. Luca went on by reporting on the Secretariat for Missions. After an analysis of the challenges that contemporary mission poses to the organisational structures of the Order, he reported on the work that had been carried out and in particular the animation of the Camillian Task Force.

Fr. P. Guarise, the General Consultor for Ministry, in connection with his report offered to the assembly an interesting volume entitled ‘Il ministero camilliano’ (‘The Camillian Ministry’), which contains indications and guidelines for Camillian ministry in the near future. This has been one of the activities of his Secretariat which, in the spirit of its statutes, has sought to keep the dynamic to engage in ministry at a high level, looking for new pathways of presence in the world of health and health care as well.

In the afternoon, Fr. B. Pazhanilath, the Consultor for Formation, offered an interesting analysis of his sector. His report was rich in data and statistics and ended with some stimulating operational recommendations to foster greater commitment in this area, which, indeed, is crucial for the growth of the Order

At 16.30 Fr. R. Salvatore, the Superior General of the Order, took his place at the podium in order to give the most important report, a mirror of the reality of the Order seen through the eyes of the man who as been at the tiller for the last six years. Without dwelling upon the activities that have been engaged in, which were delegated to his first helpers, the Consultors, Fr. Renato pointed to nine challenges for the future presence of the Camillians. They should form part of the analysis of the members of the General Chapter who are called to take them into consideration and to transform them into operational approaches. The analysis of Fr. Renato was followed with a great deal of interest by the assembly and ended with applause marked by affection and appreciation.

The day ended with the much appreciated visit of Msgr. Z. Zimowski, the President of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, accompanied by the Under-Secretary of the same Pontifical Council, Fr. A. Chendi, a Camillian religious. This visit expressed the personal esteem and the esteem of the Church for the Order and also a commitment to forming increasingly intense relationships of cooperation.