The Philippine Church focuses on the mission of the Augustinian Recollects to transform devotion to Saint Ezekiel Moreno into hope, prayer, and concrete accompaniment for people suffering from cancer. CBCP News, a media outlet of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, highlighted this initiative coinciding with the 120th anniversary of the saint’s death.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has focused on the work that the Augustinian Recollects carry out to spread devotion to Saint Ezekiel Moreno, patron saint of people suffering from cancer, and to transform it into a true pastoral tool of hope and accompaniment for the sick and their families.
CBCP News, the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, dedicated a report, signed by journalist Norman Dequia, to this mission of the Augustinian Recollects on August 19. The publication coincided with the liturgical feast of Saint Ezekiel Moreno and the 120th anniversary of his passing.
The Philippine media outlet particularly emphasizes the Augustinian Recollects’ desire to go beyond merely spreading devotion: the figure of Saint Ezekiel Moreno is also intended to be a way to approach those going through cancer, to accompany them spiritually, and to remind them that they are not alone in the midst of illness.
“We are actively working to ensure that this devotion serves as an instrument of hope and healing for cancer patients.”
This is explained by Brother Bernard Amparado, prior provincial of the Saint Ezekiel Moreno Province, in statements collected by CBCP News via Radio Veritas.
Saint Ezekiel Moreno, hope for people suffering from cancer
The mission acquires a particularly significant dimension in the Philippines. According to data collected by CBCP News, approximately 150,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed in the country each year.
Given this reality, the Augustinian Recollects seek for the devotion to Saint Ezekiel Moreno to have a profoundly pastoral dimension. Prayer and the veneration of his relics are thus united with the spiritual accompaniment of the sick and their families and the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Anointing of the Sick.
In recent years, the religious have promoted various initiatives to bring the figure of the saint closer to the Filipino faithful. These include pilgrimages of his relics to different parts of the archipelago, liturgical celebrations, and other prayer and accompaniment proposals.
Saint Ezekiel’s own history explains the enduring strength of his figure in the Philippines. The young Augustinian Recollect arrived in the archipelago in 1870 and was ordained a priest in Manila the following year. There, he developed his missionary vocation for years, especially in places like Palawan and Mindoro.
The Philippines was not merely a stage in his life: it was a decisive land in shaping the missionary, pastor, and saint who would later become bishop of Pasto, in Colombia.
The devotion has also gained increasing recognition within the Philippine Church. In 2024, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines established the celebration of Saint Ezekiel Moreno, every August 19, as an obligatory memorial throughout the country.
The Nuncio in the Philippines: cancer brought Saint Ezekiel even closer to Christ
CBCP News also echoes the celebration of the 120th anniversary of Saint Ezekiel Moreno’s death, held on August 19 at the St. Ezekiel Moreno Novitiate-Recoletos, in Antipolo.
The Eucharist was presided over by Monsignor Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, who offered the celebration especially for the sick and for those suffering from cancer.
In his homily, the Pope’s representative recalled the sufferings that accompanied Saint Ezekiel during the last months of his life and highlighted how the illness, far from separating him from God, further deepened his union with Christ.
“Those sufferings did not separate him from Jesus. In reality, they made him understand that Jesus was close to him.”
The testimony gains particular strength in a saint who personally experienced illness. Saint Ezekiel Moreno died of cancer on August 19, 1906, at the age of 58, in the convent of Monteagudo, Navarre.
His experience of pain and the Christian way in which he faced his last months led, over time, many sick people and families to begin entrusting themselves to his intercession.
Canonized by Saint John Paul II in 1992, Saint Ezekiel Moreno is today recognized as the patron saint of people suffering from cancer.
From devotion to the accompaniment of the sick
The recognition by CBCP News highlights an essential dimension of the Augustinian Recollects’ initiative: devotion to Saint Ezekiel Moreno does not end with a holy card, a relic, or a prayer. It seeks to generate a true culture of accompaniment.
Behind every diagnosis there is a person, a family, uncertainty, fear, and also a need for hope. Therefore, the Order wants the figure of the Augustinian Recollect saint to help bring the Church closer to those going through one of the most difficult moments of their lives.
On the 120th anniversary of Saint Ezekiel Moreno’s death, his experience thus once again becomes a mission. The religious who knew cancer in his own body continues to bring the sick and families closer to a certainty that Nuncio Charles Brown recalled in the Philippines: in suffering, Christ remains close.
This information has been prepared based on the news originally published on August 19, 2026, by Norman Dequia in CBCP News, the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Recoletos.org expressly acknowledges and thanks the original media outlet for its authorship and informative work.
