Would you like to follow Jesus Christ

in the service of the Sick and the Dying?

Perhaps you have a vocation to join our Order. You may be interested in our way of life. Please feel welcome to contact the Vocation Director for more information. There is no obligation attached to your enquiry and there will no visits or telephone calls to your house.

for more information please contact

Fr John Philip, MI

St Camillus

11 St Vincent St North,

Dublin 7

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Fr John Philip also works as Chaplain to the Mater Hospital Dublin

******** see below an interview on vocations with the Provincial, Fr Stephen Foster.

Q What exactly are you looking for?

A Well, we are looking for people who believe they may have a vocation to follow Christ by serving the sick and the dying. And of course we would invite them to visit us here and together we can explore the possibility that they may have a vocation.

Q How Father would you know if you have a vocation?

A It’s something that arises in the person. An inner belief that won’t go away that Christ is asking them to do something that perhaps they have not considered before. It may be a surprise to them. It may even be something that they would rather resist. They might think, I do not want this. But if it’s a true call from the Lord, it will not just disappear, even if the person wants it to. They will have to ponder on it. They will have to test it, as they say. And we would test it too. We would tell them what we think.

Q Is it a special work to work with the sick?

A Oh yes, it is very special. Not everyone has it, because they are called to different vocations. Some are teachers, some are parish priests and others look after the sick.

Q Do they have to be convinced that they are being called?

A No no, they don’t have to be convinced. In fact I don’t think that’s possible. I don’t believe anybody is convinced. It’s something, as I say, that has to be tested. Their faith will mature and they will go through what we call a path of discernment or discovery if you like.

Q Why would anyone want to join the Order of St Camillus? Looking after sick and dying people is hardly what the majority of people would consider doing? Can you talk briefly about your Order and how it was founded, because it’s not an Irish Order, is it?

A it’s probably true not everyone would be called to join our Order. You’re right, it’s not an Irish Order, it was founded in Rome in 1582 by St Camillus. Yet it must be pointed out that the first group of Camillians was an international group including one Irishman and two English priests. The Irish Camillian was Brother John Baudin from Co. Galway. And the Order has stood the test of time I’m glad to say. And the Pope at the time, Pope Sixtus V, described it ‘as a new school of charity.’ Indeed it was proved by the dedication of Camillus and his first followers. Many of them died as a result of looking after the sick. The sick were all at that time afflicted by the plague. To come into contact with them could mean a strong chance of becoming infected oneself and thus dying. So Camillus and his first followers took a fourth vow, to serve the sick even with danger to their own life. They were what you would call, true martyrs.

Q You mean they died because they were looking after the sick?

A Yes, they lost many men. Many Camillians died during the lifetime of Camillus. But they kept receiving many vocations and the Order’s houses in Rome and elsewhere in Italy started to overflow with vocations. Any new outbreaks of the plague in different parts of Italy was met by a huge number of Camillians volunteering to Camillus to be chosen as part of the group to go and help these people.

Q That’s very inspirational. But we’re living in times now that are not inspirational. We have the child abuse scandals. Why would anyone want to be a priest today or a brother? The vocations are down and parents don’t want their kids to be priests or religious unlike 40 years ago. Did you see the Late Late show recently. Ryan Turbidy asked the audience how many would encourage their children to become priests. No one put their hand up. Where are you going to get your vocations from?

A I didn’t see the Late Late Show that you refer to, but in some sense it’s not surprising that parents would think that way. People are shocked at what has happened. Many are discouraged and there are some who are demoralised. Those who are anti-church have now even more reason to be. It’s not good for people that they should suffer like this. But our first concern has to be those who have been abused. They must have justice. They must have healing, if that’s possible. But they must be heard, it must be reported to the authorities.

The Lord himself is quite clear about this. ‘Anyone who defiles one of these little ones, better that a millstone be hung round his neck and he be drowned in the sea.’ I don’t think we could be more clear or graphic than that.

Q So you still think you’ll get vocations?

A I hope so. The Lord does not stop calling people to follow Him in this particular way of life. But we have to listen. It’s a personal choice. We can say yes or no. The Camillian work will always be here.

Q But what about if you don’t get vocations. Your Order will cease to exist.

A I don’t think so. I think it may diminish perhaps a bit further in Europe because we seem to be pretty dry in Europe as regards vocations. But we don’t have any problem in other parts of the worlds. We have many vocations in Africa and Asia. Maybe too many. We have to discern carefully as to who has a vocation and who hasn’t.

Q So what’s important in order to be a Camillian? What do you need?

A Well you need to have a prayer life first of all, that is something that you do each day. You can’t bring Christ or represent Christ to the sick if you don’t talk to him. Secondly you have to live in community. This is not easy. To live with others. Especially when under normal circumstances you wouldn’t live with the people you find yourself with in community life. But you can’t proclaim or preach the gospel if you can’t share it in some way with those you live with. The ego is the big challenge. We all have egos and we all have egotistical needs. But we have to be unselfish and try to be open to those around us. Mother Teresa said to an audience when she was in Dublin years ago. ‘If I cannot smile to the sister with whom I live in community, then my smile to the sick is not genuine.’ Or to put it in an expression common here. ‘Don’t be a street angel and a house devil’  it’s easy to appear to be kind to the general public, but if you’re not concerned about those with whom you live then it’s pretty shallow really. A previous Father General of ours, Calisto Vendrame used to say, ‘He who fails at community, fails as a man.’ It’s very easy to succumb to the temptation in religious life to be irritable or bad tempered or impatient. But it’s not acceptable behaviour and people need to be challenged.

In actual fact the diocesan structure of having a priest live alone in a parish community can learn a lot from religious life. Jesus never said to the apostles live alone and preach the gospel. He sent them out in twos.