Message from the President of CADIS on the occasion of the Celebration of the Camillian Martyrs of Charity - 25 May 2025

Dearest friends, sisters, brothers and supporters of CADIS,

On May 25, we celebrate again this year with deep emotion and gratitude, the commemoration of the Camillian Martyrs of Charity, a living memory of those religious who, inspired by the spirit of our founder St. Camillus de Lellis, gave their lives in generous and tireless service to the sick and suffering, even at the risk of their own health and safety. Their testimony continues to challenge and inspire us in our daily journey of charity.

From May 16 to 24 we invite you to join us spiritually in the Novena of the Martyrs of Charity: a time of prayer, reflection and renewed commitment, during which we will remember each of these brothers who fully embodied the Camillian charism, transforming compassion into concrete action.

This year our commemoration takes on an even deeper meaning because it is set in the context of the tenth anniversary of our CADIS Foundation. The theme guiding us – “A decade of compassion and empowerment: From crisis response to building resilient communities” – helps us to see the memory of our martyrs not only as a tribute to the past, but also as a prophetic impetus toward the future.

In these ten years CADIS has worked in the most vulnerable contexts of the world, facing humanitarian emergencies and accompanying communities in the difficult but necessary process of healing, reconstruction and resilience. We have learned that true compassion is not limited to immediate help, but is expressed in the willingness to stay, to listen, to walk with those who suffer, promoting paths of personal and collective empowerment.

The Camillian Martyrs of Charity are, for us, a concrete example of this style of presence: not solitary heroes, but faithful brothers, able to remain alongside the least even when everything invites one to flee. Their legacy calls us to renew today our commitment in favor of human dignity and integral health, especially where crises seem to extinguish all hope.

As we prepare for the celebration of May 25, I invite you to join us not only in prayer, but also with hearts open to the mission entrusted to us: to be signs of compassion that transform, witnesses of a charity that saves, builders of communities that resist, heal and are reborn.

With gratitude and hope,

Fr. José Ignacio Santaolalla Sáez, MI

President CADIS International