Camillus de Lellis

Saint Camillus de Lellis was born on May 25, 1550, in Bucchianico in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Tall and fiery-tempered like his soldier father, he spent his youth among military camps and fought in the Venetian army, yet his life was marked by restlessness, a stubborn leg wound, and destructive gambling. After being treated at Rome’s San Giacomo Hospital and later working at a Capuchin friary, Camillus underwent a profound conversion in 1575. Though his wound prevented him from becoming a Capuchin, it led him back to hospital life—this time as a caregiver. Under the guidance of Saint Philip Neri, he discerned a call to serve Christ in the suffering. Ordained a priest in 1584, he founded the Ministers of the Infirm, the Camillians, whose red cross became a sign of courageous charity. They vowed to serve the sick even at risk of death, caring for plague victims, the wounded in war, and the dying with reverence. He is venerated as patron of the sick, hospitals, nurses, and physicians, and is also invoked against gambling. His feast day is July 14.