NEWSLETTER-AUGUST 2021
COVID AND THE RELIGIOUS VOWS
Interview with His Excellency Monsignor J.R. Carballo, Secretary of the Congregation for Religious
by Lorenzo Prezzi in “Settimana News” May 9, 2021
In an interview, His Excellency Monsignor José Rodríguez Carballo, ofm, archbishop secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life addresses the experience of religious vows in times of pandemic.
– Msgr. Carballo, how is it possible to combine Covid and vow of poverty? There are many institutions that the pandemic makes economically unsustainable (schools, monasteries, parishes). How to recover the meaning of the vow of poverty? What is the Spirit’s call to serve the poor?
Indeed, Covid has put a strain on the finances and maintenance of many religious communities and their apostolic works, including many communities of contemplative life. In many cases it has been necessary to draw from the funds that the Institute or the Province had accumulated over the years through much effort and sacrifice. In other cases, it was necessary to close down works that had been run by consecrated persons for years. Many structures were sold at unfair prices. In this sense, the pandemic is for many religious and consecrated persons an experience of dispossession and poverty, an experience often painful.
But, in addition to this experience of material poverty, in this time of pandemic we have also experienced poverty in forms imagined never before: social distancing, the use of masks that erase our smiles and much of our verbal communication, isolation, fear of being infected and of infecting…
ROMAN PROVINCE
Deacon Nicola Maria Mastracola, a Camillian religious of the Roman Province, was consecrated a priest on June 29, 2021, at the Basilica of St. Camillus in Rome. The celebration was presided over by His Excellency Monsignor Paolo Ricciardi, auxiliary bishop for the diocese of Rome and in-charge of the diocesan healthcare ministry.
The municipal administration of Bucchianico, on July 15, has conferred an award to health workers residing in the town of Bucchianico or serving in the municipal territory. The valuable award, made by Piergianni Urbanucci, was delivered to the Provincial Superior of the Roman Province of Camillians for the Sanctuary of St. Camillus de Lellis, as a symbolic place for those who exercise their profession with the heart in their hands.
SPANISH PROVINCE
On the occasion of the entry into force of the law on Euthanasia in Spain, the Camillian confreres of the Spanish province, together with the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, the Catholic Hospitals of Madrid, the Spanish Conference of Religious (CONFER) and the National Federation LARES gathered for a day of reflection and sharing in which they presented their position on this delicate and central anthropological issue. READ MORE
Josè Carlos Bermejo – Espiritualidad y salud. Diagnostico y cuidado espiritual
These pages propose a new look at spirituality and its links to health, illness, dying. We diagnose and take care of ourselves physically. We must do so in the spiritual as well. Spirituality, beliefs, health and suffering are connected. Aspects related to spirituality and beliefs can affect a person’s biological life, including their prolongation and quality of life. In this book, we also explore some keys to spiritual accompaniment with an explicitly Catholic identity.
MINISTERS OF THE INFIRM OF ST. CAMILLUS
Sr. Lucia Walker, a Brazilian religious, was elected superior general of the Ministers of the Infirm of St. Camillus during the recent general chapter of the Institute.
We express our best wishes to the new Superior General and to the newly elected General Councillors: first Councillor and Vicar Sr. Liberty Elarmo, second Councillor Sr. Catherine Anyango Wanga, third Councillor Sr. Teresa Rungphet Phanvongsa, and fourth Councillor Sr. Bernardetta Violini.
SALUTE E SVILUPPO
In the village of Bossemptélé (Ohuam Pendé Region – Central African Republic), the work of the Camillian NGO Salute e Sviluppo (Health and Development) in the “Health” sector continued through the implementation of another emergency initiative called “ ’op ́́” (strengthening of health services in the John Paul II hospital at Bossemptélé), co-financed by AICS – Italian Agency for International Cooperation.
The project, which started on December 8, 2019 and ended on May 7, 2021, achieved the objective of improving access to health services for the vulnerable population of Bossemptélé, strengthening the John Paul II Hospital and ensuring adequate and quality responses to the needs of the territory, through a network of assistance and care in the neighbouring villages.
Impegno per persone vulnerabile e salute | Salute e Sviluppo (salutesviluppo.org)
SICILIAN-NAPOLETAN PROVINCE
Interview with Monsignor Franco Moscone, Archbishop of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo by Fr. Alfredo Tortorella, MI.
Vatican News radio program “La finestra del Papa” (The Pope’s Window) interviewed our confrere Brother Carlo Mangione for the 25th anniversary of the San Camillo centre at Acireale.
La finestra del Papa – seconda parte 08.07.2021 – Vatican News
CAMILLIAN DELEGATION IN PERU
We share the web page of asᴏᴄɪᴀᴄɪᴏ́ɴ cᴏʀᴀᴢᴏɴᴇs ʏ mᴀɴᴏs sᴏʟɪᴅᴀʀɪᴀs sᴀɴ fʀᴀɴᴄɪsᴄᴏ of our Camillian confreres in Peru, as a testimony to the excellent work done for the benefit of the most vulnerable people and for the families of the country, at this time, particularly tested by this serious pandemic health crisis.
“Our mission is to help people in vulnerable situations, creating equal opportunities for all without distinction. We work hand in hand with God, providing not only educational and financial support, but also physical, emotional and spiritual.”
YouTube: https://www.acymssanfrancisco.org/es/
https://www.acymssanfrancisco.org/es/
DELEGATION IN KENYA
Fr. Raphael Ndungu, a Camillian religious of the Kenyan delegation, defended his graduation thesis in medicine on June 22, 2021, at the Faculty of Medicine of the Policlinico A. Gemelli in Rome. Congratulations and prayers for his life as a consecrated religious and a Camillian doctor!
DAUGHTERS OF SAINT CAMILLUS
The story of the arrival of the Daughters of St. Camillus in Brazil… 75 years of Camillian presence bearing witness to the perennial love of Christ for the sick through their lives and their works.
75 anni della presenza delle Figlie di San Camillo in Brasile (concuoredimadre.org)
In June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Burkina Faso Delegation of the Daughters of St. Camillus was elevated to a Province.
“We wish our dear Burkinabe sisters to continue to be faithful to their Camillian vocation, loving, first of all, Jesus with all their strength, the institute, our dear Founders and our ‘lords and masters’ as Saint Camillus said.”
DELEGATION IN INDONESIA
On July 14th, on the feast of St. Camillus, despite the presence of Covid 19 in our island of Flores, the young Camillian community of Maumere celebrated with joy and solemnity some significant events: admission of 12 candidates to the Novitiate, including 2 candidates from Pakistan; the first profession of 5 novices; the renewal of vows of 17 religious; perpetual profession of one religious; and the official opening of the new Novitiate house in Kupang, island of Timor. READ MORE
Maumere (Agenzia Fides) – “Churches and schools are closed, as well as travel by flights and ships are suspended, at least until July 21. The virus now seems to have found its way into our island and restrictions begin”, Fr. Luigi Galvani, a Camillian missionary on the island of Flores, writes to Fides Agency. “The situation is more serious in large cities, such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali – he explains. The government is taking steps to procure vaccines, but there is no shortage of difficulties in finding them and scheduling vaccinations.”
DELEGATION IN UGANDA
Tiigo Mathias, Gyaviira Matovu, Takanda Julius and Akewa Francis, at the end of their novitiate, will make their temporary profession of religious vows, on Sunday August 15th, at the Camillian Seminary of Jinja in Uganda.
NORTH ITALIAN PROVINCE
During the feast of St. Camillus, in the house of prayer of Piossasco (Turin), Fr. Gianfranco Lovera gave the “mandate” to 10 young people who, after a long period of preparation, had applied to commit themselves as volunteers of the Punto Giovani Association.
Fr. Angelo Brusco, former Superior General of our Order, celebrated the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination in the community of S. Maria del Paradiso (Verona) on June 25, 2021.
Father CAMILLO CESARE BRESCIANI – 150 years since his death: remembering in order to grow
Pope Francis, in his apostolic letter addressed to all the religious on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life (November 28, 2014) invited us to come to terms with our history and memory, cultivating a deep sense of gratitude. “In this Year it will be appropriate for each charismatic family to remember its beginnings and its historical development. Telling one’s story is indispensable for keeping identity alive, as well as for strengthening the unity of the family and the sense of belonging of its members. It is not a question of making archaeology or cultivating useless nostalgia, but rather of retracing the path of past generations to grasp in it the inspirational spark, the ideals, the projects, the values that moved them, beginning with the Founders, the Foundresses and the first communities. It is also a way to become aware of how the charism has been lived throughout history, what creativity it has unleashed, what difficulties it has had to face and how they have been overcome. One can discover inconsistencies, the fruit of human weaknesses, and at times perhaps even the oblivion of some essential aspects of the charism. Everything is instructive and at the same time becomes a call to conversion. To tell one’s story is to give praise to God and to thank him for all his gifts.”
MADIAN ORIZZONTI
Yesterday came the news of the death of the President of Haiti at the hands of a gang of bandits. For more than two years the island of Haiti has been in the hands of gangs of criminals who destabilize the country with unprecedented ferocity (… )
Our Camillian missionaries are on the front line to give concrete answers to a population in total disarray and complete despair, and they ask our help in prayer and solidarity to continue to give life and respond with increasing commitment to give hope to people.
https://www.camilliani.org/madian-aiutiamo-e-sosteniamo…/
Port au Prince (Agenzia Fides) – The local press reported that the police of Haiti killed four “mercenaries” and arrested two others, believed responsible for the ambush that cost the life of President Jovenel Moise (see other article of Fides 8/7/2021). “For more than two years the island of Haiti has been in the hands of gangs of criminals who destabilize the country with unprecedented ferocity, blocking roads, killing people and above all organizing the flourishing industry of kidnapping, without looking anyone in the face and without any mercy.”
BRAZILIAN PROVINCE
Web series on the life of St. Camillus, edited by the Camillian Province of Brazil!
There will be three episodes per week published on the YouTube channel of the Brazilian province.
Websérie Mês de São Camilo | Episódio 1 | Ministri degli Infermi (camilliani.org)
His Excellency Msgr. Moacir da Silva, the bishop of the Archdiocese, presided over the official opening of the “Super Miro” Process (on the miracle) of Blessed Father Luigi Tezza, on July 27, 2021, at 9.00 a.m., at the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Ribeirão Preto (Brazil).
BURKINA FASO
The Camillian Province of Burkina Faso celebrated the feast of St. Camillus with the reception of 12 new Camillian religious, recently consecrated priests!
JULY 14, 2021 – SOLEMNITY OF SAINT CAMILLUS
Here you will find all the images and videos of the great feast of St. Camillus on July 14th!
JULY 22, 2021 – FEAST OF SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
On July 22, the Church commemorates the liturgical feast of St. Mary Magdalene.
In preparation for the feast, a special triduum of prayer was held at the church of St. Mary Magdalene from July 19 to 21. Holy Mass was celebrated at 19.00, followed by a meditation on the evangelical figure of ‘Mary Magdalene’.
On July 22, the Eucharistic celebration, presided over by His Excellency Monsignor Daniele Libanori, S.J., auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rome, was streamed on the official Facebook page of the Order of St. Camillus de Lellis.
Festa di Santa Maria Maddalena 2021
In the heart of the Capital, close to the Pantheon, there is a magnificent church dedicated to the Apostola Apostolorum. Monia Parente is with Fr. Gianfranco Lunardon, General Consultor of the Ministers of the Infirm, Rector of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Campo Marzio.
Mary Magdalene, whom tradition identifies with the public sinner reported in the Gospels, has a small church dedicated to her in the historic center of Rome. The church of St. Mary Magdalene, located in the homonymous square wanted by Pope Urban VIII, is not very large, but is an important gem that makes up the immense range of precious stones of the Roman architectural tradition. It is one of the few examples of the Roman Rococo style, which attracts the pilgrims who visit it in splendour typical of the Baroque heritage of the seventeenth century.
Il rococò romano di Santa Maria Maddalena | DIOCESI DI ROMA
GENERAL CURIA
Order of the Ministers of the Infirm celebrates St. Camillus de Lellis
Following the fourth centenary of the death of the founder St. Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614), the website of the Order of the Ministers of the Infirm, in 2015, was rethought in the light of his charism, to offer a broader look at the life of the Camillian world and, more generally, that of suffering, health and care.
In rete – L’Osservatore Romano
CADIS
DOWNLOAD HERE the new issue of Crossover, newsletter of our CADIS Foundation.
In this issue we discuss:
Rebuilding resilience by returning and entrusting health in people’s hands
Bringing healthcare closer to displaced people, the path to peace and community resilience
Overcoming the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on younger generations
Vaccine for All. 20 Points for a more just and healthy world
Accompanying the single mothers in their struggle to stability
Resurging from the deep-seated socio-health crises
Camillian Disaster Service International
CrossOver – Bollettino Trimestrale N.22 – Aprile/Giugno | Ministri degli Infermi (camilliani.org)
DECEASED BROTHERS & SISTERS
Man can be explained only if there is a Love that overcomes every isolation, even that of death, in a totality that transcends space and time. Man is explainable, finds his deepest meaning, only if there is God. And we know that God has come out of his remoteness and has made himself close, he has entered our lives and tells us: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live; whoever lives and believes in me will not die eternally” (Jn 11:25-26).
BENEDICT XVI, GENERAL ADDRESS – Wednesday, 2 November 2011
STEFAN GRUBER
Fr. Stefan Gruber fell asleep in the peace of the Lord, comforted by the sacraments of faith, on Wednesday, July 21, 2021, at the age of 89.
The funeral will take place at the Ober St. Veit Cemetery, Vienna, Gemeindeberggasse 26, on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Afterwards we will celebrate the Requiem in the Klosterkirche, in Vienna, Leistungsheimstrasse 72. A memorial celebration will also take place in Salzburg later.
Fr. Stefan Gruber was born on October 23, 1932, in St. Johann, Diocese of Györ, Hungary.
On January 9, 1947, he entered the Camillian seminary in Hilariberg, Kramsach, Tyrol, where he began his novitiate on December 7, 1950.
JOÃO AFONSO ZAGO
João Afonso Zago was born on December 2, 1935, in Videira – SC (Brazilian state of Santa Catarina), as son of Fiorindo and Giancemina Eberle Zago. He was baptized on December 15, 1935 and received the sacrament of Confirmation on April 28, 1944.
Fr. João entered the Camillian seminary in Iomerê-SC in 1949. On December 10, 1956, he began his novitiate and made his first religious profession on December 11, 1957.
From 1959 to 1964 he studied philosophy and theology at the Camillian Institute Pius XII in Jaçanã, São Paulo – SP. He made his solemn profession on February 11, 1960. He was ordained deacon on December 21, 1963 and consecrated priest on June 29, 1964.
Most of Fr. João’s religious and priestly life was dedicated to the formation of seminarians and parish ministry. From 1965 to 1967 he was a vocation promoter and parochial vicar in the parish of Nossa Senhora do Rosário. From 1967 to 1974 he was a teacher and formation assistant at the Camillian seminary in Iomerê and, for a period, also superior of the community.
Rita Martelli, a Daughter of St. Camillus, died on June 22, 2021. She was 93 years old, and she spent 69 years in religious life.
Sr. Helen Ho, a religious of the Ministries of the Infirm of St. Camillus, belonging to the province of Taiwan, expired on July 24, 2021. Sr. Helen, born January 5, 1947, made her first profession of vows on March 28, 1971.
PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH
APOSTOLIC LETTER PATRIS CORDE OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
ON THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROCLAMATION OF SAINT JOSEPH AS PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
We need only ask Saint Joseph for the grace of graces: our conversion.
Let us now make our prayer to him:
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,
and defend us from every evil. Amen.
Given in Rome, at Saint John Lateran, on 8 December, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year 2020, the eighth of my Pontificate.
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