Born in northern Italy in 1550 AD, his father was an officer and away for most of his life. 

His mother, who was fifty years old when Camillus was born, died when he was still a child. 

As he grew up, Camillus was moody and prone to outbursts. Too much for anyone in the family to handle, he was allowed to join the Venetian Army at 16 and went to war against the Turks. 

During one battle, his leg was seriously wounded and he never fully recovered. In addition, Camillus developed a serious problem with gambling and lost everything he’d ever had. 

Desperate to earn a living he found work and a Capuchin Friary and it was there he had a conversion of heart. 

Camillus tried to enter the novitiate but, because of his leg wound, was denied. 

He went to a hospital in Rome for treatment but, while there, also began to help other patients and was such an effective caregiver that, eventually, he was made superintendent. 

A friend, St. Philip Neri, encouraged Camillus to try again to become a priest. 

At last, he was accepted and ordained at the age of thirty-four. He decided to start a new order which came to be known as the Camillians. 

Camillus was an innovator. Dedicated to caring for the sick, he was also concerned about the cleanliness and order of his hospital. He and his men were the first to take field ambulances into war to treat the wounded, wearing large, red crosses on their Cassocks which they still wear today. 

They were also fearless in attending to victims of the plague. 

Pope Gregory XV based the new order in Rome. During the plague it is said Camillus performed miraculous healings and the Camillians were credited with bringing an end to the plague. 

Throughout his life, Camillus suffered greatly from his leg wound. When he reached the point where he could no longer walk to see his patients, he crawled. 

When he died in 1614 he was widely referred to as “The Saint of Rome”. 

St. Camillus, please pray for us.