(The incorrupt heart of St. Camillus contained in a special glass reliquary will be in Pampanga on March 23 and 24. Photo Courtesy of the Archdiocese of San Fernando)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The incorrupt heart relic of St. Camillus de Lellis, patron saint of the sick, doctors, nurses and other health workers, will be brought to the Metropolitan Cathedral here this Saturday morning and will stay there up to Sunday morning.
This was announced here yesterday by the Archdiocese of San Fernando to enable local Catholics and other folk to honor and venerate the relic of the saint who died in Italy way back in 1614.
“St. Camillus’ heart was taken an hour after his death on July 14, 1614, and the relic is enshrined at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Rome, Italy, where he was buried. The relic of the heart of St. Camillus is contained in a crystal glass in the shape of a heart,” said a statement from the archdiocese.
A crystal glass reliquary containing the incorrupt heart of St. Camillus measures 11 centimeters high and 10 centimeters wide, the statement also said.
“St. Camillus himself in his lifetime had an experience being sick as he had a sore in his leg that would not heal, and spent a lot of time in hospitals where he also later on served as a caregiver. The experience made him realize that God called him to serve the sick. It also led him to establish a religious congregation dedicated solely to care for the sick—the Ministers of the Sick, popularly known today as the Camillians,” the archdiocese said.
The sacred relic is expected to arrive at the cathedral here at 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, where it will be open for veneration up to midnight through several Holy Masses.
The cathedral would open anew at 4 a.m. the following Sunday through more Masses up to 9 a.m. before it leaves for Caloocan City.
“The visit of St. Camillus’ heart relic provides a perfect opportunity for all of us to give importance to the humanization of health care in the country, to place our sick brothers and sisters at the center of care and not leave them on the margins, and for all healthcare providers and carers of the sick to renew their dedication and commitment in loving and serving the sick,” said Fr. Dan Vicente Cancino Jr., MI, chairman of the Journey of the Heart.
“St. Camillus’ heart relic really has such spiritual symbolism. The most common being that the heart is the universal symbol of love. And even his last breath, St. Camillus’ heart was in the service of the sick. For him, to serve the sick is to serve Christ Himself,” he noted.
The archdiocese also said “the ‘new school of charity’ that St. Camillus established has been touching the hearts of people and loving the sick in 42 countries all over the world, including the Philippines. Camillian presence in the Philippines started in 1974 and the Philippine Province of the Camillian Order was formally established on July 1, 2003.”
“Presently, they exercise their ministry in Luzon (Quezon City, Makati, Marikina, Pasig, Antipolo and Baguio City), in the Visayas (Calbayog and Balugo, Dumaguete), and in Mindanao (Davao City and Mati, Davao, Oriental),” it added.
