Incorrupt heart relic of St. Camillus visits Cebu for the second time

Hundreds of Catholic devotees touch the glass case that house the heart relic of St. Camillus De Lellis which was displayed inside Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. JUNJIE MENDOZA

CEBU CITY, Philippines – For the second time, the incorrupt heart relic of St. Camillus De Lellis visited Cebu for veneration by the public, especially the sick.

Placed in a glass case, the heart relic of St. Camillus was brought to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral in downtown, Cebu City on Wednesday.

Fr. Dan Cancino Jr., executive secretary of the Commission on Health of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said the heart relic reminds everyone to take care of the sick and the dying.

“The visit of St. Camillus is a perfect chance for us to give importance to the humanization of healthcare in the country, to place our sick brothers and sisters at the center of care and not leave them on the margins, and for healthcare providers and caretakers of the sick to review their dedication and commitment in loving and serving the sick,” he said in an interview.

The heart relic arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport on Tuesday morning and was brought to the Daughters of St. Camillus Convent Chapel in Talamban, Cebu City. It was transported to the cathedral on Wednesday.

Throughout the day, hundreds of people lined up to touch the glass case containing the saint’s heart which was removed an hour after his death on July 14, 1614.

St. Camillus is the patron of the sick, hospitals, nurses, and healthcare workers.

He was born on May 25, 1550 at Bucchianico in Italy. He was the son of a poor nobleman.

St. Camillus became a soldier and was an “incorrigible gambler.”

In 1575, he was converted to God and became a servant and later an assistant of St. James’ Hospital for incurables in Rome where he had been a patient with an ulcerated leg and rapture that impeded him his whole life.

St. Camillus was ordained a priest in 1584 and obtained approval for the congregation of priests which he founded.

He devoted his life to hospital service. He insisted on the utmost care for both the soul and the body of his patients.

Though his health eventually worsened, he exhausted himself for charity.

St. Camillus died on July 14, 1614. He was canonized in 1746.  /muf