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SAINT CAMILLUS DE LELLIS |
Patron of the sick, nurses, hospitals and physicians
 Saint Camillus de Lellis was born
in 1550 in the Abruzzi region of Italy. He grew to be 6'6" tall
and of large stature. When old enough, Camillus went to fight
with the Venetians against the Turks. However, he was struck
with an ailment that would persist with him the rest of his
days. He was sent to the San Giancomo hospital of the incurables
in Rome, but was later discharged for his quarrelsomeness, and
returned to fighting.
St. Camillus always referred to himself as a great sinner, but
in fact his only vice seem to be gambling. He gambled away
everything he had after returning to the fight, and remembering
his vow to join the Franciscans in a fit of remorse, he went to
work as a labourer on the new Capuchin buildings in Manfredonia.
Here, after a moving exhortation from the Friar, he completed
his conversion and begged God for mercy, at the age of
twenty-five.
Camillus sought to join the Capuchins, but the leg ailment
precluded entry into that order, so he returned to the hospital
of San Giancomo as a servant. Repulsed by the slack character of
the attendants, he sought to reform the hospitals staff by
finding people of character wishing to serve in charity. This
was met with much resistance, but he also resolved with the help
of his confessor, St. Phillip Neri, to receive Holy Orders, in
order to more completely help the sick.
He was raised to Holy Orders, being ordained by Thomas Goldwell,
the last bishop of the exiled English hierarchy. He severed ties
with San Giancomo, against the advice of St. Phillip Neri, and
formed what would be the Ministers of the Sick. The next twenty
years would see great expansion of the Congregation, with 15
houses of priests and brothers, and also 8 hospitals being
erected. Two major houses were established, and he oversaw the
Congregations involvement in helping the sick on quarantined
galleys in the harbor of Naples, from which several of his
ministers died, becoming the first martyrs of charity. Also
accomplished was involvement in the wars in Croatia and Hungary,
giving rise to the first military field ambulance. In 1591
Gregory XIV at last promoted the Congregation to an Order.
St. Camillus laid down control of the Order in 1607, but
assisted in the first general chapter of 1613, and afterwards
visited each house for final exhortations. His lifetime of
maladies: the leg ailment, two sores to one foot causing great
pain, a rupture for 38 years, and for some time a distaste of
food that greatly reduced his stature and strength all combined
to wear out the saints body, as he passed on July 14, 1614. For
his pain though, he received gifts of miracles, healing and
prophecies.
Saint Camillus de Lellis, with St. John-of-God, are the Patron
Saints of the sick, and he is also the patron of nurses and
nursing associations.
This was compiled from
catholic-pages.com. |
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