A Dominican province in Peru has converted its formation house for aspirants in Lima into a hospital. The Hospital of the Charity of Saint Martin de Porres was blessed at a dedication ceremony on Jan. 23.
The hospital is headed by Fr. Luis Enrique Ramírez Camacho and Fr. Rómulo Vásquez Gavidia, the current prior provincial.
Speaking to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish language news partner, Ramírez explained the inspiration for the hospital came from the charitable example of both their founder St. Dominic and St. Martin de Porres.
The Dominicans did not want “just to devote ourselves to academic and intellectual affairs but also to dedicate ourselves to serving those most in need.”
Ramirez said that for years they have been conducting free healthcare campaigns but that they wanted to do something “more concrete and developed,” which led to the idea of the new hospital.
“Everything the Church does in general and that we Dominicans do in particular is done on a non-profit basis (…) Charity is ultimately the guide that all we, in general, Catholic Christians, are called to. And St. Martin de Porres set a particularly great example that we are invited to follow,” said Ramírez. “I think he understood perfectly what our father St. Dominic did,” he added.
Ramirez encouraged the hospital’s staff always to bear in mind the humanity of the people they are serving, that “this is a human being who is suffering, who came to where you are to get relief.” CNA
