‘By his wounds you have been healed’ (1 Pt 2:24)

Issue No. 2 MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER ON THE OCCASION OF THE NINETEENTH
2ND SEMESTER 2010 WORLD DAY OF THE SICK (11 FEBRUARY 2011) (11 FEBRUARY 2011)

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

E
very year, on the day of the memorial of
the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes, which is
celebrated on 11 February, the Church
proposes the World Day of the Sick.
This event, as the venerable John Paul II wanted,
becomes a propitious occasion to reflect upon the
mystery of suffering and above all to make our
communities and civil society more sensitive to our
sick brothers and sisters. If every man is our
brother, much more must the sick, the suffering
and those in need of care be, at the centre of our
attention, so that none of them feels forgotten or
emarginated; indeed, ‘the true measure of human-
ity is essentially determined in relationship to suf-
fering and to the sufferer. This holds true both for
the individual and for society. A society unable to
accept its suffering members and incapable of
helping to share their suffering and to bear it in-
SECRETARIAT ON MINISTRY & COMMISSION ON JUSTICE

wardly through “com-passion” is a cruel and inhu-

man society’ (Encyclical letter Spe salvi, n. 38). The initiatives that will be organised in
ASIA PACIFIC e-Bulletin

each diocese on the occasion of this Day should be a stimulus to make care for the suffer-
ing increasingly effective, also in view of the solemn celebration that will take place in
2013 at the Marian sanctuary of Altötting in Germany.
MINISTERS OF THE INFIRM

1. I still have in my heart the moment when, during the course of the pastoral visit to Tu-
rin, I was able to pause in reflection and prayer before the Holy Shroud, before that suf-
fering face, which invites us to reflect on He who took upon himself the passion of man,
of every time and place, even our sufferings, our difficulties, our sins. How many faithful,
during the course of history, have passed in front of that burial cloth, which enveloped
the body of a crucified man, and which completely corresponds to what the Gospels hand
down to us about the passion and death of Jesus! To contemplate it is an invitation to
reflect upon what St. Peter writes: ‘By his wounds you have been healed’ (1 Pt 2:24). The
Son of God suffered, died, but rose again, and precisely because of this those wounds
become the sign of our redemption, of forgiveness and reconciliation with the Father;
however they also become a test for the faith of the disciples and our faith: every time
that the Lord speaks about his passion and death, they do not understand, they reject it,
they oppose it. For them, as for us, suffering is always charged with mystery, difficult to
accept and to bear. The two disciples of Emmaus walk sadly because of the events that
had taken place in those days in Jerusalem, and only when the Risen One walks along the
road with them do they open up to a new vision (cf. Lk 24:13-31). Even the apostle Thomas
manifests the difficulty of believing in the way of redemptive passion: “Unless I see the
mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and put my hand
into his side, I will not believe” (Jn 20:25). But before Christ who shows his wounds, his
response is transformed into a moving profession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn
20:28). What was at first an insurmountable obstacle, because it was a sign of Jesus’ ap-
parent failure, becomes, in the encounter with the Risen One, proof of a victorious love:
‘Only a God who loves us to the extent of taking upon himself our wounds and our pain,
especially innocent suffering, is worthy of faith.’ (Urbi et Orbi Message, Easter 2007).
2. Dear sick and suffering, it is precisely through the wounds of Christ that we are able to
see, with eyes of hope, all the evils that afflict humanity. In rising again, the Lord did not
remove suffering and evil from the world, but he defeated them at their root. He op-
posed the arrogance of Evil with the omnipotence of his Love. He has shown us, there-
(Continued on page 2)

CREATING A NEW CULTURE IN THE WORLD OF HEALTH
T
he Camillians in the world are actively involved in
promoting a new culture of health in the world
of health, a culture enriched with humanitarian
and evangelical values, values which do not only
inspire our actions but motivate us to a particular mission
– the “oughtness” of our commitment, i.e., the total lib-
eration of humanity from the bondage of sickness and all
other forms human sufferings.
Health (and sickness) has broadened its sphere and hori-
zon, that not even the WHO definition has engulfed its
vastness and richness. The total well-being of humanity is
not only a project of the here and now but a new vision of
humanity that bears the fullness of life or the perfection
of the original design of the human person. It is in this
context that our socio-health institutions and in particular
our pastoral healthcare centers envisioned to achieve its
end. According to the golden rule of the identity of the
Camillian institutions, they are “to be an expression of
the Christian community that announces salvation, offer-
ing to all full health, and, at the same time, a space in
which the culture of the Good Samaritan is incarnated …
a respond to real needs, being attentive at all times to
human promotion and the building of the King-
dom.” (Camillian Identity).
During the last joint regional meeting in Taiwan in 2010,
one of the main highlights in the discussion of the new
challenges in our ministry is the issue of migration and
human trafficking particularly among women and chil-
(POPE’s MESSAGE … from page 1)
fore, that the way of peace and joy is Love: “Just as I
have loved you, you also should love one another” (Jn
13:34). Christ, victor over death, is alive in our midst. And
while with St. Thomas we also say “My Lord and my
God!”, let us follow our Master in readiness to spend our
lives for our brothers and sisters (cf. 1 Jn 3:16), becoming
messengers of a joy that does not fear pain, the joy of the
Resurrection.
St. Bernard observed: ‘God cannot suffer but He can suf-
fer with’. God, who is Truth and Love in person, wanted
to suffer for us and with us; He became man so that He
could suffer with man, in a real way, in flesh and blood.
To every human suffering, therefore, there has entered
One who shares suffering and endurance; in all suffering
con-solatio is diffused, the consolation of God’s partici-
pating love so as to make the star of hope rise (cf. Encyc-
lical letter Spe salvi, n. 39).
I repeat this message to you, dear brothers and sisters, so
that you may be witnesses to it through your suffering,
Page 2
Editorial
dren and its relation to the growing cases of HIV-AIDS in
Asia. All the members of the secretariat and the commis-
sion expressed their desire to rejuvenate our prophetic
voices amidst this humanitarian crisis. Migration is an
alarming carrier of the AIDS virus. Certainly, it is not the
virus that creates the problem but the worsening prob-
lem of poverty, an issue of social justice, that mitigates
and impoverishes the world of health.
In this second issue of this bi-annual publication of the
Camillians in Asia-Pacific, an organ of the Secretariat on
Ministry and the Commission on Justice and Solidarity in
the World of Health (CJSWH), it will highlight the various
programs and activities of the pastoral healthcare cen-
ters in Asia-Pacific. It will feature also some news update
and reflections coming from our confreres in Asia regard-
ing innovations in our ministry.
Our pastoral centers are the nerve centers that can
transmit a new culture into the world of health through
formation and advocacy. Formation and advocacy are a
two-pronged approach towards a development of a new
culture in health – a culture that believes that health is
first and foremost not a thing or condition that one must
possess but a MISSION that one must commit. It is a mis-
sion towards the fullness of life – a new form of life envi-
sioned by the Kingdom of God, the abode of real “life’s
blessings”.
By Aris Miranda, MI
your lives and your faith.
3. Looking forward to the appointment of Madrid, in Au-
gust 2011, for the World Youth Day, I would also like to
address a special thought to young people, especially
those who live the experience of illness. Often the Pas-
sion, the Cross of Jesus, generate fear because they
seem to be the negation of life. In reality, it is exactly the
contrary! The Cross is God’s ‘yes’ to mankind, the highest
and most intense expression of his love and the source
from which flows eternal life. From the pierced heart of
Jesus this divine life flowed. He alone is capable of liber-
ating the world from evil and making his Kingdom of jus-
tice, peace and love, to which we all aspire, grow (cf.
Message for the World Youth Day 2011, n. 3). Dear young
people, learn to ‘see’ and to ‘meet’ Jesus in the Eucha-
rist, where he is present in a real way for us, to the point
of making himself food for our journey, but know how to
recognise and serve him also in the poor, in the sick, in
our brothers and sisters who are suffering and in diffi-
culty, who need your help (cf. ibid., n. 4). To all you
(Continued on page 3)
ASIA-PACIFIC E-BULLETIN
(POPE’s MESSAGE … from page 2)

young people, both sick and healthy, I repeat my invitation to create bridges of love and solidarity so that nobody feels
alone but near to God and part of the great family of his children (cf. General Audience, 15 November 2006).
4. When contemplating the wounds of Jesus our gaze turns to his most sacred Heart, in which God’s love manifests itself
in a supreme way. The Sacred Heart is
Christ crucified, with the side opened by
the lance from which flowed blood and
water (cf. Jn 19:34), ‘symbol of the sac-
raments of the Church, so that all men,
drawn to the Heart of the Saviour,
might drink with joy from the perennial
fountain of salvation’ (Roman Missal,
Preface for the Solemnity of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus). Especially you, dear sick
people, feel the nearness of this Heart
full of love and draw with faith and joy
from this source, praying: ‘Water of the
side of Christ, wash me. Passion of
Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus,
hear my prayers. In your wounds, hide
me’ (Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola).
5. At the end of this Message of mine
for the next World Day of the Sick, I
would like to express my affection to
each and everyone, feeling myself a par-
ticipant in the sufferings and hopes that you live every day in union with the crucified and risen Christ, so that he gives
you peace and healing of heart. Together with him may the Virgin Mary, whom we invoke with trust as Health of the Sick
and Consoler of the Suffering, keep watch at your side! At the foot of the Cross the prophecy of Simon was fulfilled for
her: her heart as a Mother was pierced (cf. Lk 2:35). From the depths of her pain, a participation in that of her Son, Mary is
made capable of accepting the new mission: to become the Mother of Christ in his members. At the hour of the Cross,
Jesus presents to her each of his disciples, saying: “Behold your son” (cf. Jn 19:26-27). Her maternal compassion for the
Son becomes maternal compassion for each one of us in our daily sufferings (cf. Homily at Lourdes, 15 September 2008).
Dear brothers and sisters, on this World Day of the Sick, I also invite the authorities to invest more and more in health-
care structures that provide help and support to the suffering, above all the poorest and most in need, and addressing my
thoughts to all dioceses I send an affectionate greeting to bishops, priests, consecrated people, seminarians, health-care
workers, volunteers and all those who dedicate themselves with love to treating and relieving the wounds of every sick
brother and sister in hospitals or nursing homes and in families: in the faces of the sick you should know how to see al-
ways the Face of faces: that of Christ.
I assure you all that I will remember you in my prayers, as I bestow upon you my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 21 November 2010, the feast of Christ the King of the Universe.
Benedictus PP XVI

I S S U E N O. 2 Page 3
 INDIA Camillian Pastoral Health Centre (CPHC)
By Siby Chennattu

The Camillian Pastoral Health Centre (CPHC) is one

of the prominent health care initiatives of the
Camillians-India which was started in Snehadaan
campus, Bangalore on 25th October, 2009. This was
opened with an intention to serve as a centre for
the humanisation of health care by inculcating the
Christian values of Compassion and Mercy into the
present healthcare system that is becoming more
and more commercialised of late. The centre
achieves this by training, developing and motivat-
ing the religious / lay people/ priests and healthcare
personnel to work towards attaining holistic health
of the needy and marginalised individuals.

The centre has hosted a number of training pro-

grams since the beginning which are directly re-
lated to health care field, specifically HIV/AIDS care,
support and treatment. Majority of these training
programs we conducted were for the staff working in the field of HIV/AIDS and public health with focus on sensitising
them about the not-much-noticed side of poverty and deprivation in accessing basic medical care. Usually the trainings
were conducted in association with Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS), Karnataka Health Promotion
Trust (KHPT), National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) etc. The general practise we follow here is that when a group
approaches us with their specific training requirements, a coordinator from our centre will design a schedule by incor-
porating their learning requirements with resource persons assigned. We arrange all the resources including subject
experts / trainers to meet their requirement based on necessity. On an average, we train 20 to 50 trainees per batch.
The duration of trainings will be determined based on the availability of time with each group.

Till date we have conducted almost 35 training programs that include around 150 training days and covered nearly 2,200
professionals / lay people / priests / nuns / novices etc. a gist of the same is given below.

No. Category No. of Trainings People Trained

1 Religious Groups 16 979
2 Professionals & Staff under the HIV prog. 13 828
3 Students 4 335
4 Learning Visits 1 10
TOTAL 34 2152

It has to be specially mentioned that we have conducted various training programs for professionals from Catholic
Health Association of India (CHAI) and Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) for projects related to RNTCP-TB-
HIV. Apart from visitors from various religious congregations, we provided trainings to professionals working in the
field of HIV/AIDs such as doctors, nurses, counsellors, social workers and program managers. We occasionally had
groups from abroad to have an experience about the programs we are coordinating in India, especially in the state of
Karnataka. The centre has a very efficient team to coordinate and manage all the groups we receive for training pro-
grams which already helped us to fetch a hallmark - ‘a centre with quality uncompromised’. In future we will try our
level best to keep the promise and deliver in all the maximum possible ways.

CPHC has a facility to accommodate around 82 persons for staying, has various seminar and conference halls that can
accommodate a maximum of 150 people. The centre is also equipped with a kitchen and two refectories which can
house 100 participants in each.

Contact us: Director, CPHC

Snehadaan campus, Ambedkar Nagar, Carmelaram PO, Sarjapura Road, Bangalore – 35

Page 4 A S I A - PA CI F I C E - B U L L E T I N
 THE ST. CAMILLUS PASTORAL
PHILIPPINES HEALTHCARE CENTER
The St. Camillus Pastoral Healthcare Center (SCPHC) is a centre for theological and pastoral formation for healthcare
workers and practitioners. It aims to form humane, compassionate, and competent healthcare service providers at the
service of the Philippines and Asian Catholic Church and societies. Thus, the SCPHC commits itself to:
Formation of healthcare providers for humanized ministries in the Philippine-Asian context;
Through a multidisciplinary approach that equips them with the knowledge and values required for holistic service
to the sick and the significant others;
In order to view the world of healthcare as a privileged field of evangelization and contribute to the humanization
of healthcare systems in the Philippines and its neighbouring countries.
The SCPHC offers its programme to all healthcare
providers – chaplains, doctors, nurses, community/
parish-based volunteers – who wish to improve he
service they render and come to a deeper under-
standing of their inspiration and motivations. At
present it offers a regular course on Clinical Pas-
toral Education (CPE) and the HIV/AIDS awareness
forums, seminars and Voluntary Counselling and
Testing .

CPE: Clinical Pastoral Education is designed to pro-

vide quality professional training in ministry. It is
designed to be a comprehensive educational ex-
perience through the practice of ministry. The
heart of CPE is your ministry with people and learn-
ing from that ministry through reflection, discus-
sion, and evaluation with other students and your
supervisor.
In your CPE experience, you will utilize verbatim (in the form of Pastoral Care Reports), case studies, and other ministry
descriptions to present your ministry to supervision. Discussions will be conducted to assist you in understanding theo-
logical issues arising from experience. There will be opportunities to learn from behavioral sciences while also reflect-
ing theologically, so you can draw from both in understanding the human condition. You will be challenged to think
about groups and social structures as well as individuals in defining your ministry. The focus will be on what is happen-
ing to the people receiving your ministry.
The program is set up to train persons to be more effective pastoral ministers: hearing stories with increasing sensitiv-
ity and awareness of the intra/inter- personal dynamics, the spiritual themes that offer meaning and hope, and the
place of one's own story in how one chooses to minister.
Goal: To train personnel to develop a better understanding of the pastoral ministry in healthcare, and to acquire the
necessary spiritual, psychological and behavioural skills for the ministry.
Objectives:
To become aware of oneself as a minister and the ways one's ministry affects persons.
To develop the skills to provide intensive and extensive pastoral care and counseling to persons in their crises and
situations.
To develop the ability to make effective use of one's religious / spiritual heritage, theological understanding, and
knowledge of the behavioural sciences in pastoral ministry to persons and groups.
To become aware of the pastoral role in interdisciplinary relationships and work effectively as a pastoral member of
an interdisciplinary team.
To become aware of how social conditions and structures affect the lives of self and others and to effectively ad
dress these issues in ministry.
To acquire insights and skills to be available for the care of people of different religious traditions.

By Sr. Fe Santos, CS
I S S U E N O. 2 Page 5
C amillian Pastoral Care
Center is the newly
inaugurated center of the Camillians in Thailand that offers elegant facilities for conduct
seminars, training programs and formation in the field of humanization for all kinds of groups and
organizations. The place also serve as the main office of the St. Camillus Foundation of Thailand
where the seat of the provincial administration is
located. The center has activated various services
such as the Camillian Home for the differently-abled
children, the Fund Raising Department, Research &
Development Department and Marketing, the
Catholic Committee on HIV/AIDS.
The building is furnished with 53 rooms with 30 bed-
rooms for single accommodation and 23 bedrooms
for double accommodation. It has three multi-
purpose halls wherein the biggest one can accom-
modate 100 persons. It has also sport amenities
such as tennis and badminton courts. It has also a
chapel, a good place for prayer and meditation.
By Fr. John Siranon
The Camillian Home is the only facility in
Thailand dedicated to caring for these aban-
doned children in a family atmosphere, and it
aims to serve as a model for how Thai society
should care for vulnerable children with
special needs. Significant work is also being
carried out for disabled people living in the
community. The Home receives very little go-
vernment support, but instead survives on the
generous support and donations from indivi-
duals and corporations.
 By Vorapoj Singha,
Thai Catholics welcome Pope’s condom view Bangkok

T
hai Catholics have greeted the pope’s comments on condoms as a sign that the Church is stepping into the
modern debate to fight against HIV/AIDS.
“The world has become different. I think the Church knows it sometimes has to make adjustments with the
times. Saving people’s lives and protecting life is the important thing,” said Phuwamin Reunharn.
The father of two said it is “justifiable and acceptable to use a condom to prevent the spread of AIDS” however its use
in itself does not answer the AIDS issue.
“People must believe in good values and ethics,” he asserted.
The condom issue came to light after the Vatican newspaper on Nov. 20 published comments made in a book, Light of
the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times, based on a series of interviews of Pope Benedict XVI by a
German journalist.
Pope Benedict reportedly said that condoms may be used by
men and women sex workers, as it is a lesser evil than trans-
mitting HIV.
Camillian Father Siranon Sanpetch said the pope is not con-
doning the use of condoms but making an observation re-
garding the awakening of a sense of responsibility in the
people.
“The pope does not offer a new moral evaluation of the use
of condoms, but is merely describing a psychological devel-
opment as one, even in the grip of sin, can begin to acknowl-
edge the safety and human dignity of another,” he said.
“The Church has always celebrated the truth and beauty of
human sexuality. I think the pope wanted to give his per-
spective on the need for a more humanized and responsible
sexuality,” added the rector of the Camillian Social Center in
Chanthaburi.
Thongching Yimyuan, manager of the Catholic Commission for Women, said through discussions with Church workers,
they agreed that “condoms are not really the way” to protect oneself from the HIV infection.
“I feel the pope’s comments mark a tentative step into a more modern stance in the global fight against HIV/AIDS,” she
said but added that it is better to prevent the spread of the infection by faithfulness in marriage.

ucanews.com | November 25, 2010

 MEMBERS PROFILE
FACTS: Food for thought
Siranon Sanpetch
Superior - Camillian Home for the Elderly,
Sec. for Minsitry - THAILAND

Giovanni Rizzi
Parish Priest - Our Lady of Assumption
TAIWAN

John Toai
Superior - Foundation
VIETNAM

Siby Chennattu
Administrator - Snehasadan
INDIA

Jose Eloja
Delegate Superior
AUSTRALIA

Aristelo Miranda
Camillian Task Force Central
Sec. CJSWH - ROME

Marcelo Pamintuan
Chaplain - Philippine Heart Center
PHILIPPINES

Charly Ricafort
Parish Priest— Nuestra Senora della
Annunciata, PHILIPPINES

An Invitation
STAFF AND EDITORS
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON
Aristelo Miranda - Editor
PASTORAL HEALTH CARE
Siranon Sanpetch - Associate Editor
October 9-15, 2011
CONTRIBUTORS
Camillian Pastoral Care Center
Sr. Fe Santos, CS Fr. Siby Chennattu
Bangkok, Thailand
Fr. Siranon Sanpetch
Topics:

*Accompanying the Dying: Pastoral Concerns,

Challenges and Resources
*Healing the Sick in its Global Dimension
Speaker: Rev. Fr. Arnaldo Pangrazzi, MI
www.camillianpastoral.org
ASIA-PACIFIC Secretariat for Ministry
Commission on Justice and Solidarity in the World of Health
Piazza della Maddalena, 53 - 00186 Roma
Tel.: +39 06899281 Fax: + 39 0689928133
email: apmi@gmx.com