Camillus de Lellis has two gleaming wishes in his mind: to have a hundred arms so that he could assist the sick further; and to have more heart in every Camillian’s hand. These words were not actually unrealistic. They hewed a path to the vision of Camillus’ undying service towards the sick.
By and large, every formation house and program for formation carries with them these gleaming wishes of Camillus. Thus, every formand is prepared to be a man with hands full of heart just as Camillus wishes! I say this because the Scholasticate community is primarily the first community which accompanies the religious in their first experience of their Camillian vowed life.
It was August of 2007 when Fr. Boy Guinit and I assumed the task of formation at the Scholasticate. We were entrusted the responsibility to assist in shaping the scholastics’ young minds and building up their character in favour of this great Camillian dream of having a hundred arms for the sick. We became formators for 25 scholastics from four different countries in no time. We just found ourselves being in a community. By simple evaluation, we realized there was not much intricacy in making our team work. Just like any other community, we started to get to know each other and find the best possible way to relate with each other by understanding our respective complexities and acknowledging our limitations and limits.
Both of us came from five years of immersion in our respective places of ministry. Fr. Boy experienced a very dynamic life of hospital work in Davao Medical Center in Davao City, while I came from a community with a slow stride of routine formation work at the St. Camillus Adult Formation Center in Antipolo City. I found out that there is much to learn from each other since we have so many differences in terms of temper and likes. Thus, our common ground: Sharing stories and a cup of coffee (or “macota” tea) at the end of the day has been a very important venue in solidifying our fraternity.
Aside from being formators, Fr Boy and I wear other hats. Fr. Boy works as a chaplain at the Lung Center of the Philippines on daily basis while he assists as procurator and assistant to the director of scholastics in our religious community. I assist in the Provincial Council’s endeavours as a secretary and councillor.
As men at the helm among a company of equals, we take the principle of constancy to heart by assisting our young scholastics toward the great mastery of commitment in their adherence to their daily schedule and in their holy commitment to their apostolate alongside with their studies in Theology. A good teaching tool is this precious principle of mastery: be there and be with them. For me, the most wonderful time of the day in the house is supper time because everybody is present. Really present. I enjoy supper time… food is simple and stories are abundant! Supper usually culminates with tea (macota deva) drinking while we continue to share unending stories, anecdotes and re-cycled jokes … and even new ones too!
Leading the community entails a real challenge of making the service to the sick second-nature to the scholastics. This takes a lot of time and a lot of sacrifice for all the members of the community. This year, we increased the apostolate days and the number of areas where we could be of help to the sick. Organizing health care programs and apostolic activities in and out of the Scholasticate community such as medical missions, community organizing and medical check-up for the members of the community helps each scholastic to deepen their awareness of solidarity and justice in the health world.
One objective of the program in the Scholasticate community is to deepen the understanding of the Charism, Mission and Spirituality of the Order among the scholastics through real and existential encounters with the sick. Providing a venue, a context where they could be immersed in the situation of the sick and with those who minister to them is one big task, which we undertake as formators. More so, the witness of the formators and the religious in the ministry become for them the signposts that direct them into their understanding of the uniqueness of being ministers of the infirm.
Intensifying the prayer life of the community is one priority which Fr. Boy and I uncompromisingly agreed on. We thresh out the novelty of prayers and increase more the spirit of praying together. We understand that an inner commitment to prayer leads one to be a more discerning individual. I can simply say, we pray.
As we enter the 10th month of our being formators in the Scholasticate community, we find ourselves facing more challenges and learnings that bring us into a better understanding of the dynamics of the scholastics and the Scholasticate. I must say that I have learned so many things from the scholastics—from their deepest concern to their most trivial anxiety. I purify myself in them, just like Fr. Boy who finds good company in their youthful presence in our lives. I am honoured to be with this people—sharing with them the two gleaming wishes of Camillus, which we strive to become.
