Devotees flock to St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral in Tagbilaran City, Bohol on Friday to venerate the heart relic of Camillus De Lellis . Leo Udtohan / Inquirer Visayas
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol–Catholic devotees have flocked to the St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral to venerate the incorrupt heart relic of St. Camillus de Lellis.
For the faithful, the presence of the heart relic placed inside a glass casing would also mean the visit of the saint himself.
The relic was brought to the cathedral around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, which was followed by a Mass officiated by Bishop Albert Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran.
After the Mass, Boholanos who are known for their intense Catholic faith, started lining up to get close to the relic.
They took turns in either touching the glass that housed the heart or wiping it with their handkerchief while uttering a short prayer.
Divina, who asked not to reveal her family name, went to Tagbilaran from her hometown in Lila, about 33 kilometers northeast of here, when she heard about the presence of the relic of St. Camillus de Lellis.
She only wished for one thing: to be healed.
Divina, who had been undergoing dialysis for two years, wanted to be cured from her kidney ailment for the sake of her two children.
She said she didn’t mind the travel from Lila to Tagbilaran because she believed that she would be healed by God through the intercession of the St. Camillus, the patron saint of the sick and health workers.
“I know I will be healed,” said Divina who endured the long line for 30 minutes before she could touch the glass casing and say her prayer.
The veneration Masses of the relic would be held at noon, 3 p.m., 5:15 p m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The relic would stay there overnight.
A farewell Mass would be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday before it would be brought to the Jaro Cathedral in Iloilo City on March 10.
St. Camillus was a priest confessor and a miracle worker who treated and cared for the sick.
He established the Ministers of the Sick known as the Camillians, which is a religious congregation dedicated solely to cater for the sick.
The 404-year-old relic has been touring the country since Feb. 2 and will be returned to its home at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Rome on March 31. /jpv