Camillians in Karungu: Celebration of 25 years at the service of the sick and the poor
Father Emilio Balliana and Brother Valentino arrived in Karungu 24 years ago with the intention of creating a Mission. At the time Karungu was an isolated area with a high rate of HIV/AIDS. This situation has attracted the attention of the Camillian community, whose main mission is to care for the sick, the poor and the marginalized.
To remember this honorable cause, every year the Camillian community meets, on July 16, to celebrate the feast of St. Camillus. At the same time this year we also began to celebrate the anniversary of the 25 years of activity of the Camillians in Karungu. It has been a long journey, sometimes difficult and difficult, but it has allowed us to reap wonderful fruits so far.
The celebration took place outside the Medicine block of St. Camillus Mission Hospital. Guests began to gather at 9:30 to attend Mass. Among them was Father Dominic Mwanzia, recently elected Provincial Delegate of the Camillians in Kenya, Father William Augo from St. Francis Kasarani and the Sisters of Macalder. There were also children, students from the B.L. Tezza secondary school, staff members and patients from the hospital.
The Holy Mass was celebrated by Father Dominic. During the liturgy he recalled the reason why this anniversary is celebrated every year: “we celebrate this anniversary to help us remember what our main objective is as servants of the sick. We must do our best, we must improve our services and we ask Jesus to be in our hands when we take care of the sick”.
San Camillo De Lellis was a good man: he took care of the sick and you never tolerated any abuse against them”.
He then turned to doctors, nurses, clinical officers and even cleaning staff encouraging them to take care of the sick with the heart:
Do it not for the financial statement but because it is right”.
Before concluding his sermon, Father Dominc shared a message from Bishop Philip Anyolo of the Diocese of Homabay that he was not present at the celebration due to unavoidable commitments. The Bishop’s message contains a maxim of Saint Camillus which reads: “think well, speak well and work well. With these three things you will find a place in Paradise“. The Bishop’s message was an encouragement for those present, to invite them to make this maxim their own and to put it into practice in daily life, especially when they find themselves having to take care of those in need.
The Karungu Mission has grown over the years. Initially, we started with the construction of the hospital ; to date we have come to have a Center for Orphans, the Dala Kiye , and two schools, one primary and one secondary, the B.L. Tezza . Just as we celebrate the success of the Camillian Mission in Karungu, we also celebrate the spiritual growth that this Mission has fostered. During the celebration the lay family of the Camillians was presented. It is a group made up of some employees of our hospital who make the charism of St. Camillus their own.
Father Emilio, one of the founders of the Mission in Karungu, told the story of his life as Camillian. When he was 10, he dreamed of serving people. Fascinated and attracted by the Red Cross, symbol of the charism of the Camillians, he joined the Community. For 51 years he has lived his dream and is happy to have followed his passion. “St. Camillus Mission Hospital is among the best centers in the country. We strive and will always strive to ensure the best for our patients. The sick person needs to be treated with dignity. You’re entitled to the best possible treatment.” With these words he also encouraged all present to be generous and to put themselves at the service of the needy.
The celebration of this day ended with a performance by children who entertained guests with dances and songs. For lunch the guests were welcomed in the community refectory and the patients instead received sweets and drinks.
Karungu was not initially the place chosen by the Camillians to build a hospital but, thanks to the advice of Father Claudio Moscatelli, at the time Superior of the community of Passionists, It has come today to have this wonderful center of which thousands of people benefit. Of the Camillians in Karungu we celebrate not only the 25 years of their presence but also the joy that it brought to serve the sick, the poor and the needy. And there’s still a long way to go.
