Another saint's relic set to arrive in Philippines

Heart of St. Camillus de Lellis to provide spiritual boost to those suffering from sickness and infirmities.

Bishop Oscar Florencio (center) announces on Jan. 25 the scheduled arrival to the Philippines of the heart relic of Saint Camillus de Lellis on Feb. 2. (Photo by Jire Carreon)

Manila:  Another heart relic of a saint is going to the Philippines, this time during the "heart month" of February.

The heart relic of St. Camillus de Lellis, patron of the sick, doctors, nurses, and health workers, will arrive on Feb. 2 and remain in the country until the end of March.

Bishop Oscar Florencio, member of the Episcopal Commission on Health Care of the bishops' conference, called the visit a "grace from God."

In October, thousands of Filipino Catholics welcomed the heart relic of Italian St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina.

"There are many requests to have the relic [of St. Camllius] visit their place ... but by the grace of God we were given this chance," Bishop Florencio said.

He said the saint's visit "gives hope especially to people who are sick, who cannot afford to seek treatment because of poverty."

Father Dan Vicente Cancino Jr., chairman of the visit called "Journey of the Heart 2.0," said it "provides a perfect opportunity to give importance to the humanization of health care" in the Philippines.

"I hope this becomes a way for our health care providers to renew their commitment to loving and serving the sick," he added.

During his lifetime, St. Camillus fell ill, and while in a hospital he realized that God was calling him to serve the sick.

It also led him to establish a religious congregation, the Ministers of the Sick, dedicated solely to caring for those with infirmities.

St. Camillus' heart was removed an hour after his death on July 14, 1614. It was later enshrined at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Rome.

Father Cancino said the saint's heart has spiritual symbolism, the most common being that it is the universal symbol of love.

"Up to his last breath, St. Camillus' heart was in the service of the sick. For him, to serve the sick was to serve Christ Himself," the priest added.

The Camillian congregation's presence in the Philippines started in 1974. The Philippine Province of the Camillian Order was formally established on July 1, 2003.

The heart relic, which is contained in a crystal glass in the shape of a heart, first visited the Philippines in 2013.

Source: UCAN