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NEWSLETTER n. 2 – August 2014

IL MONDO CAMILLIANO VISTO DA ROMA … E ROMA VISTA DAL MONDO

THE CAMILLIAN WORLD SEEN FROM ROME … AND ROME SEEN FROM THE WORLD

Esteemed religious brothers and friends of the Great Family of St. Camillus, even though – at least in Italy – we are going through the classic period of holidays and rest when we gain new energy and intensify the important relationships and friendships of our lives, the initiatives and the commitments of the Camillians and of those who work with them in the various latitudes of the planet, continue, and with great fervour.

We are still living the long wave of the celebrations to end the fourth centenary of the death of St. Camillus: we cultivate the hope and the wish that with the floodlights shut off, the will and the passion to continue to cultivate positive feelings, the enthusiasm of our charism, and good projects to relaunch the ‘old and always new’ initiatives of mercy for sick and frail people, will remain.

After receiving with curiosity, interest and esteem the news presented below, we simply wish with equal simplicity to share it with you!

This is a reiterated appeal to the sensitivity of everyone so that this virtuous circle of information-knowledge-esteem can be increasingly implemented!

Until the next instalment!

FROM THE CAMILLIAN WORLD …

COLOMBIA

The celebrations for the closing of the Camillian jubilee year in the communities of Bogota were many in number. They involved all the various Camillian institutions and agencies in the local area and were marked by a number of important appointments: the solemn profession of our religious brother  Diego Fernando Ceron Medina; the annual spiritual exercises, held at the House of Camillian Spirituality (21-24 July); and the presence of the Superior General, Fr. Leocir Pessini, because of his fraternal visit to the Delegation.

The most important moments of the jubilee celebrations were the celebration of the Eucharist presided over by the Archbishop of Bogota, Cardinal Ruben Salazar; the presence of Fr. Leocir Pessini, who commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the priesthood of Fr. Adriano Tarraran; an amarcord moment when the fiftieth anniversary of the presence of the Camillians in Colombia was commemorated, with grateful memories of the ‘father founders’ ( Fr. Renzo Roccabruna, Fr. Emilio Stenico, Fr. Piero Merlo and, looking back, Fr. Silvestro Caresia). The celebrations came to an end at the Juan Rey Hospital with a commemoration of Fr. Dino de Zan on the first anniversary of his death.
BOGOTA

At the Camillian Centre–House of Spirituality in  Bogota from 22 until 26 September  a meeting will be held on the promotion of vocations and formation for all those with responsibilities and an interest in this subject and field.

The programme is a full one: where will possible vocations come from: the urban, youth and contemporary environment; and how should a seminarian be accompanied today: the religious vocation today.

Fr. L. Zoungrana, the Vicar General of the Order and the Consultor responsible for formation, will also be present. His task will be to address the subject of formation with a view to the creation of a formation process by geographical areas for the Camillians of Latin America.

The women Ministers of the Sick, of Stella Maris, will also take part, and the Sisters Daughters of St. Camillus have also been invited.

CHILE

6-8 AUGUST –  THE FRATERNAL VISIT OF FATHER LEOCIR PESSINI IN CHILE

From 6 to 8 August Fr. Pessini was in Santiago where he visited the local Camillian community together with  Fr. Enrique Gonzales, the Vice-Provincial of Peru.

The Superior General took part in the meeting of the committee for pastoral care in health of the Bishops’ Conference of Chile. This meeting was coordinated by Fr. Pietro Magliozzi who in April of this year was appointed a member of this committee.

Also present was Bishop Manuel Camilo Vial Risopatrón who is much devoted to St. Camillus and is the former secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Chile. At the present time he is the bishop responsible for pastoral care in health.

TAIWAN

On 1 August 2014 the arrival of the new director of St. Mary’s Nursing College was celebrated. This nursing college currently has 3,700 students and is currently commemorating its fiftieth anniversary given that it was founded by Fr. Aldo Antonelli in 1964.

MADAGASCAR 

From Fianarantsoa (Madagascar) comes an echo of the closing of the jubilee year. In the afternoon of Saturday 12 July in the cathedral – the parish where our religious brother Christian Fidélis Andrianarisoa (the second Camillian religious from Madagascar) was born – there were moments of prayer and songs animated by various choirs of the city of Fianarantsoa.

In the interval our religious brother described the figure of St. Camillus and the Camillian charism, as well as giving a testimony on his vocation. In the morning of 13 July 2014, during the solemn celebration of the Eucharist, the Archbishop of Fianarantsoa, Msgr. Fulgence Rabemahafaly, consecrated our religious brother Christian Fidélis Andrianarisoa a presbyter.

In the afternoon, in the main hall of San Francesco Saverio di Ambatomena College, there was a moment of fraternity and reflection, in which took part the Kamilton liturgical group, the Lay Camillian Family, the boys of the village of Ilena and a surprise guest: Benoît, a diversely abled boy from the House of Charity who moved the audience when he sang a popular song by a famous artist of Madagascar.

Fr. Mirosław Szwainoch represented the Camillian Province of Poland in all these celebrations.

Look here at the photographic gallery

MACAPÀ – THE SÃO CAMILO E SÃO LUÍS HOSPITAL

Fr. J. Raul Matte, through the activity of the ‘Camilianos na Foz do Amazonas’, while he continued his missionary health work for the poorest and most needy people, expresses his gratitude for his eighty years of age, of which fifty-five have been spent as a medical doctor, fifty as a Camillian religious, forty-seven as a priest and forty-two as a missionary in Amapá, a whole region that is half as big as Italy. At the beginning of his activity, to employ his own words, he realised that ‘very many patients came from far away but could be helped in their own communities; if in those communities there had been clinics for initial care very many patients would not have died because of the time needed to reach the hospital for care that was very often simple’.

The problem was aggravated by the presence in the area of a large number of communities of people with Hansen’s disease (lepers) who were completely abandoned. Thanks to a donation there began the adventure of ‘St. John the Baptist’  – an authentic travelling river hospital – which still today ploughs the waters of the Rio and its connected rivers to bring care where there is not even a clinic.

SPAIN/ARGENTINA 

The most important activity connected with the end of the fourth centenary of the death of St. Camillus was:

1. The publication in Spanish of the work ‘Camillo de Lellis. Il santo dei malati’ (‘Camillus de Lellis. The Saint of the Sick’) by Giorgio Cosmacini.
2. The inauguration of the ‘St. Camillus’ Palliative Care Unit (PCU) in Tres Cantos (Madrid) after the work to expand it had been completed. Javier Rodriguez, the Minister of Health of the city council of Madrid, emphasised the ‘humanity’ that permeates the services and the professionals of the St. Camillus Palliative Care Unit which was inaugurated on Friday 11 July. The minister stressed the importance of palliative care through the desideratum ‘at times treat, often alleviate, always comfort’. With this project, the PCU has more than 800 square metres, 15 new rooms and new areas to be used and enjoyed by patients, family relatives and friends. In addition to the expansion the new PCU offers a more intimate area and warmth that allows a higher quality experience during the end of life period. The architectural project and the decorations give priority to the ‘humanisation of the space’ of areas and rooms and the personalisation of various areas, with elements connected with the weather, painting, sculpture, literature and music. This resource (art)  seeks to evoke care for people in situations of frailty as a real work of art.
3. The celebrations in  Argentina reached their culminating point with the celebration of the Eucharist presided over by Msgr. Poli, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, at the Hogar San Camilo of Vagues

The video of Msgr. Poli at the Hogar San Camilo of Vagues

PIOSSASCO

Camillians commemorated the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the ‘St. Camillus House of Prayer’ in Piossasco which is located in the historic neighbourhood known as ‘Borgo di San Vito’ and is in the former canonical house.

The House of Prayer organises spiritual meetings, retreats for various groups, vocational accompanying and personal talks. Animation is entrusted to Fr. Domenico Lover who this year is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of his priesthood.

MADIAN

On Saturday 2 August at 11.00 the feast day of St. Camillus de Lellis was celebrated in Lago della Rossa which is 2,718 metres  above sea level in Val di Viù.

Every year,  following tradition, on the first Saturday of August, even though the feast day of St. Camillus is on 14 July, starting from Usseglio or Pian della Mussa those taking part go to Lago della Rossa where there is a chapel dedicated to St. Camillus. This was built in 1959, and restored in 1974 by Fr. Vittorio Bertolaccini after a small avalanche had destroyed it in 1969, for the celebration of Holy Masses. This year the occasion was even more important because of the fortieth anniversary of its reconstruction  (1974-2014).

THE CTF (CAMILLIAN TASK FORCE)

On 8-9 August the Camillian Task Force was called upon to animate one of the laboratories of the national Route of the AGESCI called ‘Roads of Courage, Towards the Future’. 30,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 21 from all over Italy took part to reflect (amongst other things) on subjects and issues connected with international emergencies. The Camillian experience in the world will help to create the ‘charter of courage’ which will guide the association in the coming years.

Read news about this here

BUCCHIANICO 

On 2-7 September at the ‘Nicola D’Onofrio’ Centre of Spirituality in Bucchianico there will be a course of inter-Provincial spiritual exercises in Italian for those providing and those receiving formation.

Theme:  ‘Like a strong wind’ (Acts 2)

Speaker:  Fr. Gianluigi Valtorta

What is proposed is a short ‘spiritual itinerary’, taken from texts of the Acts of the Apostles,  to give new strength and freshness to our lives as believers and consecrated men. Starting with the ‘missionary’ text itself, we want, at the end of our jubilee year, to ‘take up our journey again’, ‘rediscover’ our courage and ‘learn’ to dare. The Acts of the Apostles offers us from near to hand the living image of the first Christian community, places us face to face with the grace and the trials of the beginnings, and places us in the furrow of an action of the Spirit which precedes, accompanies and goes beyond our own poor efforts.

NAPLES

In 7 September of this year, at the  Basilica di Maria SS. A Capodimonte (Naples), our religious brother Alfredo Tortorella – of the Province of Sicily and Naples- will be ordained a priest with the laying on of hands and the consecratory prayer of Msgr. Lucio Lemmo, the Auxiliary Bishop of Naples. The new priest will celebrate the Holy Mass with relatives, religious brothers and friends on Monday 8 September at the ‘St. Mary of Graces’ Parish in Melito, Naples.

MILAN

Wednesday 20 August will mark the tenth anniversary of the death of Br. Ettore Boschini and this will take place during the fourth centenary of the death of St. Camillus de Lellis.

At the ‘Bethany of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary’ community of Via Isonzo, 90 Seveso (Milan) there will be two celebrations of the Eucharist: at 10.30, presided over by Msgr. Faccendini Carlo, Episcopal Vicar for the city of Milan, and concelebrated by diocesan priests; and at 17.30 – in honour of St. Camillus – presided over by Fr. Carlo Vanzo, the editor of the Camillian review ‘Come Tralci’, and concelebrated with Camillian religious brothers.

FROM ROME … 

In the near future, on the web site of the Order, there will be the debut of new columns:

‘OLD THINGS AND NEW THINGS’ – the Archives, the Library, the Museum and the Rectory of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene will be a virtual box for the collection of prayer intentions, above all for people who are in need and sick.

In the project there will be four windows through which to learn about the house of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and dialogue with those who live in it or simply spend periods of time there.

In order to give further value to the positive return of the image and the visibility of the Order after the initiatives of the fourth centenary, we thought of channelling the many requests for prayers and support that reach the secretariat and the Office for Communications into a virtual box which would then be shared with our Camillian religious brothers.

DIARY OF THE SUPERIOR GENERAL  FR. LEOCIR PESSINI

At the present time Fr. Leocir Pessini is in Brazil to accompany the preparations for the c0nsultative election of the new Provincial Superior of the Province of Brazil. At the next meeting of the Consulta, which will be held on 19 August of this year, there will be the appointment of the new Provincial of Brazil.

Fr. Leocir has made two visits of fraternity to Camillian religious in two countries of South America.

On 1-4 August in  Bolivia in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, he met the Archbishop of the diocese, Msgr. Sergio Gualberti. He visited the two communities of the Sisters Handmaidens of the Incarnation (founded by the Camillian Fr. Fiocchi); he celebrated in the Parish of the Holy Spirit which is entrusted to the Camillians; and he visited the public paediatric hospital where our religious brothers engage in ministerial activity.

The Superior General took part in the meeting of the Commission for Pastoral Care in Health of the Bishops’ Conference of Chile. This meeting was coordinated by Fr. Pietro Magliozzi who last April was appointed the head of this commission.

Also present was Bishop Manuel Camilo Vial Risopatrón, who is greatly devoted to St. Camillus, was formerly the secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Chile, and is at the present time the bishop responsible for pastoral care in health.

On 1-3 September of this year Fr. Pessini will be in  San Paolo of Brazil as President of the Brazilian Society of Moral Theology and he will chair the thirty-eighth Congress of Moral Theology whose subject will be ‘Theological Ethics and Social Transformation’. Under the supervision of Fr. Pessini a research text on this subject will be published.

On 4-7 September of this year the Superior General will be in Burkina Faso in order to take part in a series of events that will involve Camillian religious: the ending of the jubilee year and the profession of three new religious brothers.

Appointments to the General Consulta 

Fr. Leocir Pessini, the Superior General, with the agreement of the Consultors, has appointed for the year 2014-15 Fr. Vincenzo Castaldo as master of novices and has established for the same period the ‘Nicola D’Onofrio’ Centre of Spirituality in Bucchianico as the house for the novitiate of the Camillian Provinces in Italy. To Fr. Vincenzo our best wishes for this important and sensitive service of formation and accompanying!

Deceased Men and Women Religious

‘See, now they vanish, the faces and places, with the self which, as it could, loved them, To become renewed, transfigured, in another pattern’ (T.S. Eliot)

Sr. Franca Evangelisti, woman Minister of the Sick

Baptised Grazia, she was born on 12 November 1940 and made her first religious profession on 29 October 1960. She died on 31 July 2014 in the CTI of Viareggio.

P. Anselmi Angelo Marco

Fr. Anselmi Angelo Marco  (the Province of Italy) 1929-2014

Angelo Marco Anselmi was born in Badia Calavena (Verona) on 7 June 1929. He  died in the evening of Saturday 19 July 2014, a month after the sixtieth anniversary of his priestly ordination, a few days after the four-hundredth anniversary of the death of St. Camillus. 

P. Giuseppe Franchetti

Fr. Giuseppe Franchetti (the Province of Italy) 1937-2014

Giuseppe Franchetti was born on 18 April 1937 in Durlo di Crespadoro (VI). He died at the community of Venice-Lido on 24 July 2014.

Br. Cesare Zambarda

Br. Cesare  was born on 26 March 1934 in  San Felice del Benaco (BS). He died on 28 July 2014 in Venice-Lido.

P. Carlo James Notaro

Fr. Carlo James Notaro (Delegation of the United States of America)

The Camillian Delegation in the United States of America, of the Order of the Ministers of the Sick, has announced the death of Fr. Carlo James Notaro, which took place on 5 August 2014. The Holy Mass and the funeral will be celebrated on Saturday 9 August 2014 at 10.00. He will be buried in the ‘St Camillus’ cemetery in Duward’s Glen near to Baraboo.

Fr. Andrzej Jendryssek

Br. Andrzej Jendryssek  (the Province of Poland)

Of the community of Hutki (Poland), he was born in Zabrze  on 1 July 1979. He died on Friday 8 August 2014 at the hospital of Krakow, Poland.

Now they live in Christ whom they met in the Church, followed in their vocations, and served in the sick and the suffering. Trusting that the Lord, the Holy Virgin our Queen, St. Camillus and our deceased religious brothers will welcome them in their midst, we commend them in our prayers, remembering them with affection, esteem and gratitude.

Look here at the press information