“Called to behold and to bear witness to the transfigured face of Christ, we Camillian religious are also called to a transfigured existence which finds in creative faithfulness to the charism of mercy towards the sick, the spirit and the passion so that ‘we do not bury the very valuable talent that our Lord has placed in our hands because we achieve holiness during our lives and then in eternal glory’.”
(Camillian Project)

Chaplaincy is at the heart of the Camillian ministry. It is a privileged type of ministry in a sense that it occupies 35% of the total number of the Camillian ministries globally. However, it is also facing serious concerns such as a) lack of enthusiasm of the young religious to this type of ministry; b) the tendency to limit its activity to purely sacramental and less pastoral (accompaniment and formation); and c) lack of visibility and creativity from our publications and promotions.

Following the above concerns and the recommendation of the Camillian Project, the General Secretariat for Ministry is organizing an international conference of the Camillian chaplains. The theme of the conference is “Hospital chaplaincy, at the heart of the Camillian ministry”. The conference is scheduled on November 4-6, 2016 at the Generalate House of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in via Aurelia, 476 – 00165 Rome, Italy. (See program below).  

The heart of any charism is the following and witnessing of the merciful love of Christ to the most vulnerable and suffering. This could only be possible if we ourselves see Christ Himself in the sick person and be Christ to them. In union with this conviction, this conference aims to 1] to rediscover direct contact with the sick in order to nurture empathetic nearness and compassion accompanied by a renewed competence as an effective exercise of our fourth vow (Camillian Project 2.5); 2] to revitalize this specific Camillian ministry and recover its centrality; and 3] to produce a manual of Camillian Chaplaincy Ministry promoting innovations and creativity.

On behalf of the organizers of this conference, I am encouraging you to send at least two (2) representatives from your Province/Delegation. To facilitate learning, there will be a simultaneous translation from Italian, English, Spanish and French. Kindly confirm your participation on or before August 15, 2016 by sending their names together with a photocopy of the passport page details in PDF format if you need an entry visa.  You may send your confirmation or inquiry to Fr. Aris Miranda (arismir @ gmail. com ) or to Fr. Antonio Puca (pucaantonio45 @ gmail. com).

Through the intercession of St. Camillus, may God keep you always in good health!

Fraternally yours,
Aris Miranda, MI
Consultor