Saint Camillus de Lellis

Priest, Founder of the Ministers of the Sick
(1550–1614)

Saint Camillus de Lellis was born on May 25, 1550, at Bucchianico in the Abruzzi region of Italy, the son of a military officer. He grew up in rough circumstances, was large in stature and passionate in temperament, and spent his young manhood as a soldier of fortune fighting in various Italian wars. He was also a devoted gambler who eventually lost everything he had, including, at one point, his shirt. After years of wandering he found himself destitute and was forced to work as a laborer on a Capuchin building project, where a sermon given by one of the friars finally broke through his defenses and moved him to a decisive conversion.

He attempted to enter the Capuchin Order but was prevented by a persistent and painful wound on his leg, which refused to heal and which caused him suffering for the rest of his life. He went to Rome and placed himself under the care of San Giacomo hospital, where he was eventually appointed steward. The miserable condition of the sick in hospital, the indifference of many of those hired to care for them, and the absence of anyone who cared for them as persons with souls moved him to found a group of devoted volunteers who would serve the sick as they would serve Christ himself.

He was ordained a priest in 1584 and two years later founded the Congregation of the Ministers of the Sick, known as the Camillians, whose members make a fourth vow of special service to the sick, including those suffering from plague. He established several hospitals, trained his men in both medical care and spiritual ministry, and insisted that the sick be treated at all times with tenderness and respect. His men were among the first to provide care on the battlefield, and some regard them as the precursors of the Red Cross.

He died on July 14, 1614, after a long illness borne with great patience. He was beatified in 1742 and canonised by Benedict XIV in 1746. He is the patron of the sick, of nurses, and of hospitals. His feast is celebrated on July 18th in the current calendar.