St. Camillus of Lellis

Camillus was born in Abruzzo in 1550. The son of an army officer, Camillus’ mother died when he was small and he was badly neglected as a child. He joined the army to serve Venice and then Naples and became addicted to gambling. When his unit disbanded in 1574, Camillus was out of money and suffering from abscesses on both feet. He found employment at a hospital in Rome, hoping for a cure for his feet, but was soon fired because of his hot temper. He then worked on a building for the Capuchin friars in Manfredonia. Touched by the preaching of the friars, Camillus reformed his life and joined the order as a lay brother, but he had to leave because of his continued foot problems. He went back to the hospital in Rome and became a nurse. He grew rapidly in virtue and became director of the hospital. Feeling called to the priesthood, he began his studies at age thirty-two. He began an order of priests and brothers to care for the sick and devoted his life to the sick and the growth of his new order; throughout this time Camillus was suffering from his foot aliments and other ills. He died in 1614 and was canonized in 1746. He is a patron of nurses.