Some of the treasures of the history of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and the environments and spaces where it has carried out its work throughout history and today.
Faced with high rates of infant mortality and childbirth complications, a lack of hygiene and nourishment, accidents, and the absence of health clinics or hospitals, numerous missionaries have confronted life-or-death emergency situations in the Philippines, China, Sierra Leone, and Brazil.
We review activities from three different centuries that have had a significant social impact to develop three concrete actions.
In Every Period and Region
In the Philippines, some Recollects, such as Bernardo and Ciriaco Echeverría, gained expertise and a reputation for performing Cesarean deliveries. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was recommended that missionaries receive training in this field. In 1856, the Augustinian Recollect Gregorio Sanz wrote “Embriología Sagrada” (Sacred Embryology), which was widely circulated and promoted by Cebu Bishop Romualdo Jimeno among parish priests and curacies in the Visayas. At the end of the 20th century, the Saint Ezekiel Moreno Clinic was built in Handumanan.
In Mexico City, the ministry is closely connected with the healthcare of everyone under the responsibility of the Province. Since 1961, the Hospitales Parish has attended to several health centres, an activity expanded by CARDI.
In Labrea (Amazonas, Brazil), considerable time and resources have been dedicated to those afflicted with leprosy. For these victims of prejudice and discrimination, resources were obtained from abroad, and an association was established. The pastoral ministry of Early Childhood has reduced the infant mortality rate. Volunteers monitor the growth and development of every newborn and teach families low-cost, highly effective preventive practices. Additionally, there is a hospital ship named Laguna Negra that relies on volunteers from the sister Diocese of Vitória (Espírito Santo, Brazil).
In Spain, the primary concern has been the chaplaincies in the hospitals of Zaragoza (Miguel Servet), Almería (Poniente), and Chiclana de la Frontera (University Hospital of Puerto Real).
Saint Ezekiel Moreno is associated with protection against cancer. On the website Online Prayer Centre of Saint Ezekiel Moreno (Centro de Oración Virtual de San Ezequiel Moreno), many people unite in prayer, offering mutual encouragement, hope, and assistance.
19th Century – Talisay: Life-Giving Water
Father Fernando Cuenca (1824-1902) took his role as an infirmarian during his novitiate so seriously that he was given a book by naturopathy practitioner Vincent Priessnitz, marking his first encounter with hydrotherapy.
Water played an important part in his ministry. He constructed dams, aqueducts, irrigation canals, and sugar mills, developing plantations of sugar cane, coffee, and abaca for textile production in Talisay.
He discovered a spring called Tuburan sang tigulang (old man’s spring), whose water he used for hydrotherapy, involving sweating, hydration, and cleansing. Using herbal oils and alcohol extracted from nipa, he treated wounds, ulcers, fractured bones, inflammations, infections, bullet wounds, and kidney stones. His therapies had anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and disinfectant properties.
Patients stayed in the convent under his care for nine days without charge, allowing him to avoid major undertakings and continue his other duties while covering all treatment expenses.
Records show health restorations and cures of almost eighty individuals, from the very poor to government officials, foreigners, and Recollect confreres, including several provincials, Saint Ezekiel Moreno, and Bishop Leandro Arrué of Jaro.
20th Century – Kweiteh: “Through Bodies to Souls”
The long-awaited medical clinic in the mission of Kweiteh (Henan, China) opened following the arrival of the Augustinian Recollect Pedro Colomo (1899–1979).
With his medical license, he efficiently organized healthcare and pharmaceutical services in two spacious rooms, one for consultations and treatments and the other as a waiting room. Patients who could afford it paid, but services were free for the majority.
In the clinic’s opening year, Colomo conducted systematic vaccinations during a cholera epidemic. Although two young girls with pre-existing conditions died at the Orphanage of the Holy Infancy, the vaccinations were otherwise successful.
The clinic distributed large quantities of antimalarial and analgesic medicines to a population lacking public healthcare infrastructure and local medical professionals, in a culture devoid of empathy for the sick and suffering.
The clinic’s motto, “Through bodies to souls,” reflected its aim to touch people’s hearts by alleviating their suffering. This approach attracted many to Christianity, as the clinic was known for its hospitality, meticulous treatments, relief, consolation, and humanization of healthcare.
Colomo assessed traditional Chinese medicine, finding value in well-used plants that often healed more quickly than Western medicines.
He learned from families who, for generations, used secret formulas specialized in treating specific illnesses or various conditions within the same system. Many of these specialists were truly admirable and achieved remarkable healings.
21st Century – International Volunteerism in Kamabai, Sierra Leone
From 2005 to 2014, the Augustinian Recollect José Luis Garayoa (1952-2020) attracted resources and medical practitioners from Spain to Kamabai, Sierra Leone, to serve a population without access to healthcare, apart from international NGOs and Catholic Missions.
Garayoa built and equipped a clinic, facilitating the work of numerous Cuban and Spanish professionals who volunteered in Kamabai, including surgeons, gynaecologists, general practitioners, dentists, nurses, and medical and nursing students.
The volunteers spent their vacations caring for the people of Sierra Leone. Garayoa’s networking skills ensured the clinic operated during the dry season each year, the most feasible time.
Although there are no records of the number of patients treated, it is certain they numbered in the thousands. The professionals’ efforts extended beyond the clinic, with marathon days spent treating people in other communities.
Patients received life-changing surgeries for conditions like bulky hernias and cleft palates, treatments for puerperal mastitis, burns, common infections, complete dental services, and care for severe wounds and fractures resulting from work accidents.
