July 14 is the feast of St. Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614), the founder of the Order of the Servants of the Sick (the Camillians) and the patron of the sick, of hospitals, and of nurses. Born at Bucchianico, in the Abruzzo, he was a soldier and a gambler before his conversion; he lost his fortune at cards, was admitted to the hospital of San Giacomo at Rome for a leg ulcer, and was dismissed for his quarrelsome behaviour. He converted at Manfredonia in 1575, worked in the hospital, and was ordained priest in 1584.
Camillus founded the Order of the Servants of the Sick in 1582, with the mission of caring for the sick without distinction of religion or means. The Camillians took a fourth vow — to serve the sick even at the risk of their own lives — and the red cross on their cassock became the universal sign of medical service. Camillus died at Rome in 1614 and was canonized in 1746.
Camillus is the patron of the sick, of hospitals, and of nurses. From Rome, where he founded the order and where he is buried in the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, the July 14 feast is the feast of the soldier who became the patron of the sick.
