Camillians at JRRMMC

Camillian involvement in Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) at San Lazaro Compound Rizal Avenue Sta. Cruz Manila began in November 2007. Scholastics Brian, Dan, Agustinus and John Paul were the first scholastics assigned there every Thursday afternoon to help in the chaplaincy and in patient visitation.

JRRMMC was founded in 1945 as a 100-bed emergency hospital for civilian casualties under the Philippine Civilian Affairs Unit or PCAU-5.  Gradually it grew into a 450-bed teaching/training medical center.  On August 1, 1945, it was renamed North General Hospital (NGH) and placed under the control and supervision of the Bureau of Health.  In 1947 it became a training hospital under the Department of Health.

By virtue of R.A. 4264 passed on June 1965, NGH was renamed Dr. Jose R. Reyes Memorial Hospital in honor of Dr. Jose R. Reyes, its Chief of Hospital from March 16, 1948 to January 24, 1964.  On December 3, 1982, Executive Order No. 851 renamed it Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center. At present, it is under the guidance of Ma. Alicia M. Lim, M.D., Medical Center Chief II.

At the start of school year 2008-2009, we formally added the hospital as an area for weekday and weekend apostolate. Scholastics Ignatius Sibar and John Jay Magpusao were assigned to go there every Thursday afternoon while Bros. Eric Tampis and John Paul Alvarado every Sunday.

On Thursday afternoons Ignas and John Jay take their lunch at school and go directly to JRRMMC. They visit the sick from 1:30 – 5:00 pm. During our Sunday apostolate, Eric and I leave the scholasticate at 7:45 am and reach JRRMMC in time for the 9:00 am Eucharistic celebration. After the Eucharist we visit the sick until 12:00 noon. We take our lunch and after some rest, we resume our visitation. We usually leave the hospital at 3:00 pm.

Besides visitation, we also assist during Eucharistic celebrations. We prepare the things to be used during the Eucharist. We lead the singing to help animate the celebration. We have also taught some of the hospital personnel how to assist at Mass and to manage the chapel.  Now they are the ones preparing for Mass, assigning readers, and assisting during Eucharistic celebrations.

After the Eucharist, we bring communion to those who request for it. We pray with them and sit at their bedside to listen to the priceless stories of their struggles, hopes and faith.

As we began our apostolate, however, JRRMMC lost its regular chaplain, Fr. Bobby, OMI, who was transferred to Korea. Meeting the spiritual needs of the patients became difficult. The hospital invited guest priests to celebrate the Eucharist but there was no guarantee of regularity. This made our apostolate more challenging.

Moved by the need, Fr. Evan, MI offered to celebrate the Sunday Masses except on the first Sunday of the month. The people began participating in the mass again. Fr. Even also joined us in visiting the sick and administering to the patients’ spiritual and sacramental needs. He did this from July to October 2008. But the major concerns in the Province forced him to disengage. The hospital had to look for another priest. They found Fr. Ignatius Ayivor, SVD from Ghana, West Africa who now presides at the Sunday Masses. However, the hospital is still without a regular chaplain.

Many people in the hospital, especially from the nursing department, have expressed their gratitude for the help we extend especially now that they don’t have a regular chaplain. But the end of the school-year meant a pause to our visitation at the hospital. They will miss our presence and help in the chapel. And so they requested that seminarians would resume their involvement in the hospital next school year.

We too are deeply grateful to the whole JRRMMC family for accommodating us. Of course, we hope and pray for a positive response to their request.