Saint of the Day - St. Camillus de Lellis

 

The future St. Camillus de Lellis was born on May 25^th, 1550 in the hill town of Bucchianico, in the Hapsburg Kingdom of Naples. The son of a military officer, Camillus inherited his father’s assertive disposition which, coupled with his towering height of over six feet, made him restless and dissatisfied with a life in his hometown.

After his mother’s death – and at the age of 16 - he followed his father into military life, enlisting in the armies of the Venetian Republic. Although his service brought him into some skirmishes with the French, without a doubt what would become the highlight of his military career was the Ottoman-Venetian war of 1570, which started with the Turkish invasion of Christian Cyprus that same year.  

    

Eventually wounded in battle, and after the cessation of hostilities, Camillus returned home with his now elderly and sick father, who passed away soon after. Without any further parental guidance, the veteran, still in his early twenties, turned to gambling and within a short time became a pauper. To make matters worse, the injury he had received did not fully heal, became infected, and left him with a limp.

One fortunate day, Camillus was spotted begging for alms at the local parish by a man who promised to help him find employment. In a few days, he began working at the local Capuchin monastery, as a mason and leading the monks’ mule caravans. It was there where the guardian of the friary engaged him in conversations about his faith and exhorted him to convert. It did not take long: with his heart touched, Camillus yearned to be taken in by the Church and did convert. He was 25 years old.

His newly found faith was soon to be tested, however. Full of zeal, he attempted to enter the novitiate of the Benedictine order, but was rejected for his lack of education and his limp. Discouraged, he headed for Rome to try his luck, and was admitted into the Hospital of St. James, in hopes of having his foot treated. Meanwhile, he continued to follow a rigorous religious lifestyle that included the performance of penances, while befriending a local priest, Father Philip Neri.

Still unable to pay for his treatment nevertheless, he became a caregiver at the hospital and tended personally to many of the patients, who sought care for their incurable diseases. While doing so, he became aware of the poor attention that many received, while other patients were even verbally – or physically – abused. Since many of the orderlies where criminals who worked as at the hospital as part of their sentence, this situation does not seem implausible.Nonetheless, Camillus, the former soldier, was appalled. He argued, and fought back and, as a result, was dismissed. Determined now to establish a religious community with the express purpose of tending to the sick, he returned to the Benedictine monastery with a monetary donation from a wealthy Roman, to begin his studies.

Yet once, again, as it seems to happen to all men who strive to do good, fate was adverse. His wound reopened and forced him to seek medical treatment once again. It was only after tedious negotiations that the friends he had made at the hospital were able to help get him back in. And yet again, Camillus was forced to work to pay for his treatment, and silently endure the mistreatment of patients. But he had not desisted in his calling.

He resumed his seminary studies at the Jesuit College in Rome, and was then ordained as a priest by Lord Thomas Goldwell, the last surviving Catholic Bishop of Great Britain. It did not take him long to gather a group of committed followers, retire from St. James, move into the hospital of the Holy Spirit, and have the congregation confirmed by Pope Sixtus V. The members of Camillus’ Order – self declared “Servants of the Sick” – sported a red cross on their black capes in order to, in Camillus’ own words, frighten the devil.

His work continued for many more years, all the while he urged the other members and volunteers to treat the hospital as a house of God, and to cherish their time with the sick and the dying. But he was still a man, and it is reported that during a particular time of anxiety, in which he questioned all of his work he heard a voice loudly proclaim from his crucifix: “This is my work, not yours.”

Camillus de Lellis died on July 14^th, 1614, his order having spread throughout Italy, and was canonized by Pope Benedict XIV in 1746. His tomb is beneath the altar of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Rome.

Easter Sunday

Lima – Easter Sunday

 

The Lord Resurrected

A day of joy and elation, for Christ has risen. From the monastery of Our Lady of Carmen the Lord Resurrected and the Virgin of Joy set out, along different routes to reunite in front of the Cathedral Basilica, where a gleeful Easter Mass is celebrated.

Arequipa – Easter Sunday

 

This morning, the procession of the Divine Child of the Resurrection from the Monastery of St. Rose goes forth, with bells ringing throughout the city. Although the image of Jesus as a child trampling a skull underfoot, representing His triumph over death, arrived in Peru in 1800, the tradition of his procession only dates from the mid-19^th century. At the end of the march, there are solemn Easter Masses celebrated throughout the city.

The nuns of St. Rose turning over the Divine Child

In some areas (Cayma, Yanahuara) the “burning of Judas” takes place, in which a life-size representation of the traitor is burnt amidst fireworks and the jeers of the public.

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With this post we wrap up the Holy Week series. It is with no small amount of satisfaction that I realize that these devout traditions, handed down from the time of the monarchy in many cases, endure and thrive not only in these two cities, but in much of the country. It is essential then to pray to the Almighty to grant the faithful in Peru the necessary strength to fight back against all assaults from modernist secularism, which has already mortally wounded much of the West.

Holy Saturday

Lima – Holy Saturday

 

Today there is no mass and the churches are closed with the notable exception of the Chapel of Solitude, in which there is a wake, starting around noon, for the Lord of the Holy Burial (an image made in Lima in 1620) under the watchful eyes of Our Lady of Loneliness and St. John the Evangelist. During this service the Stabat Mater is sung.

Lord of the Holy Burial

At night, the Paschal Vigil takes place.

Arequipa – Holy Saturday

 

In the White City, as Arequipa is also known, there are no masses celebrated either, but in the convent of St. Francis, there is vigil called the Loneliness of Mary, after which a procession with the Virgin of Anguish (a replica of Virgin of Hope of Macarena of Seville, that arrived in the mid-20^th century) along with St. John the Apostle and the Most Holy Cross with the Shroud departs.

Our Lady of Anguish

Once night has fallen, the Paschal Vigil begins.

Good Friday

 Lima – Good Friday

 

A very solemn day, which begins with, since rather recently, a procession of the Lord of Miracles from the monastery of the Nazarenes, which is followed by the service of the Three Hours’ Agony, or the Last Seven Words, which had its origins in Lima under the monarchy in 1660, and has now expanded to the greater part of the Catholic world.

The Lord of Miracles

Lignum Crucis

In the afternoon, there are three additional processions; once again the Lord of Miracles is brought out, along with the Lignum Crucis, carried by members of the archconfraternity of the True Cross, and Our Lady of Loneliness.

In olden times, there was also, from the Church of Mercy, another procession with the image of the Holy Sepulcher, in which the aristocracy of the city featured prominently.

Arequipa  - Good Friday

Also a very solemn day, in which the majority of activities center on the convent of St. Dominic. The image of Christ from the Holy Sepulcher is hung on the cross, and the service of the Three Hours’ Agony takes place, with the images of St. John the Apostle, and the Virgin of Sorrows surrounding the cross. The Liturgy having concluded, the body of Christ is lowered, during which the faithful approach the image to touch it, while it is taken back into the convent to prepare it for the later procession in a glass urn.

The Holy Sepulcher

Our Lady of Sorrows

At night, depart towards the Cathedral the image of the Holy Sepulcher, the Most Holy Cross with the Shroud, the Holy Face in the Veil, the Relics of the Crucifixion, the Lignum Crucis (gifted by Pope Pius XII,) St. John the Apostle, St. Mary Magdalene, and Our Lady of Sorrows. The people follow along with green candles, and the Miserere is sung in Spanish and Latin, until very late at night.

Maundy Thursday

Lima – Maundy Thursday

"Monument" at the Church of St. Dominic

The first day of the Paschal Triduum. The Chrism mass takes place in the Cathedral Basilica, followed by the renewal of the priestly vows, and during the afternoon there is another mass to commemorate the Last Supper, and the washing of the feet. Later on, people visit the various churches to pray before the “monuments” erected for the Eucharistic adoration throughout the whole night.

Today there are no processions.

Arequipa – Maundy Thursday

Decorated altar with monstrance shaped as a pelican

In Arequipa there are no processions either, but there is a mass in remembrance of the Last Supper and the washing of the feet. The altars are also adorned for the Eucharist, and there are reenactments of the Stations of the Cross on which penitents carry candles, wooden crosses, or even rocks.