As part of the annual program of the Brazilian Camillian province, last April in São Paulo, at the headquarters of the Camillian works foundation, the meeting of Camillian chaplains, coordinators, and health pastoral care agents collaborating with the brethren was held.

Approximately 20 Camillian religious from various communities in Brazil participated in the event, including Father Mateus Locatelli, provincial superior, Father Zaqueu Geraldo Pinto, provincial councilor for formation, and Father Junior Moreira, provincial councilor in charge of health pastoral care and missions.

The main speaker at the meeting was Camillian religious Father Ademar Rover, who extensively addressed the theme of Camillian chaplaincy in our present time. He highlighted several aspects:

• The new context of spiritual care in Brazil, which limits in many ways the most effective presence in hospitals and health facilities.
• The need for a unified program of basic training, deepening, and specialization for all those involved in this type of ministry.
• The need to create a network of trainer-multipliers for health pastoral care workers engaged in this field of work and service.

In addition to his live presentation, Father Ademar provided abundant training material on various topics, which will be sent to chaplains for further study and for use in training pastoral agents.

On the first day of the meeting, all participants had the opportunity to share their experiences, hopes, and joys of the mission, emphasizing the gradual resumption process of work with volunteers in this post-Covid-19 pandemic period. Various initiatives of the Laudato Si‘ Camillian year, already activated in their own work units, were illustrated; the symposium on ecological-spiritual integration held with directors, animators, and hospital chaplains from the North-Northeast Region and the numerous events, congresses, and regular activities of the various chaplaincies and regional coordination sections of the Brazilian religious province were also discussed. At the end of the day, Father Mateus Locatelli presided over the celebration, held for all participants at the parish of Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Pompeia.

On the second day, a guided tour of the São Camilo University Center – Pompeia Campus was conducted with the aim of strengthening knowledge and relationships between the various areas of activity and ministry in the province. As part of the program, the ProMoVe Clinic, Center for Health Promotion and Rehabilitation and Social Integration managed by the university center, was presented, which offers quality assistance to the population in need. Its infrastructure, spread over an area of ​​5470 m², is managed by a group of highly specialized individuals who work interdisciplinary, adopting behaviors that promote the improvement of quality of life and the achievement of autonomy for those taken in charge. A visit to the Realistic Simulation Center, which provides the academic community and external users with the most modern equipment for realistic simulation, was also held. With 11 classrooms and the capacity to accommodate 70 students simultaneously, the center offers training in the health sector for numerous students and professionals from various fields of education and health in the São Camilo Network. The meeting concluded with a communal lunch, offered at a restaurant near the Camillian foundation headquarters.

Father Júnior Moreira MI

Provincial councilor for health pastoral care and mission