Camillus de Lellis,
M.I., (25 May 1550 – 14 July 1614) was a
Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...
from Italy who founded the
Camillians, a
religious order
A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...
dedicated to the care of the sick. He was beatified by
Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...
in the year 1742, and canonized by him four years later in 1746. De Lellis is the patron saint of the sick, hospitals, nurses and physicians. His assistance is also invoked against gambling.
Biography
Early life
Camillus de Lellis was born on 25 May 1550 at
Bucchianico (now in
Abruzzo
Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...
, then part of the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...
). His mother, Camilla Compelli de Laureto, was nearly fifty when she gave birth to him. His father was an officer in both the Neapolitan and
French royal armies[Campbell, Thomas. "St. Camillus de Lellis." The Catholic Encyclopedia](_blank)
Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 5 May 2018 and was seldom home. De Lellis had his father's temper and, due to his mother's age and retiring nature, she felt unable to control him as he grew up. She died in 1562. As a consequence he grew up neglected by the family members who took him in after her death. Tall for his age, at the age of thirteen he began to accompany his father from one military camp to another. At sixteen, De Lellis joined his father in the
Venetian army and fought in a war against the
Turks.
[Sicari, Antonio. ''Ritratti de Santi'', Jaca]
/ref>
After a number of years of military service, his regiment was disbanded in 1575. He entered Rome's San Giacomo Hospital for treatment, but was eventually turned out of the hospital because of his quarrelsome attitude. Having gambled away all his possessions, De Lellis took work as a laborer at the Capuchin friary at Manfredonia
Manfredonia () is a town and Comune, commune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and gives its name to the Gulf of Manf ...
; he was constantly plagued, however, by a leg wound he received while in the army, which would not heal. Despite his aggressive nature and excessive gambling, the guardian of the friary saw a better side to his nature, and continually tried to bring that out in him. Eventually the friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...
's exhortations penetrated his heart and he had a religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...
in 1575. He then entered the novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
of the Capuchin friars. His leg wound, however, had continued to plague him and was declared incurable by the physicians, thus he was denied admission to that Order.[
He then moved to ]Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
where he returned to San Giacomo degli Incurabili and became a caregiver
A caregiver, carer or support worker is a paid or unpaid person who helps an individual with activities of daily living. Caregivers who are members of a care recipient's family or social network, who may have specific professional training, are o ...
at the hospital to pay for his stay. He eventually became Superintendent.[ He began to put things in order. In the meantime, he continued to follow a strict ]ascetic
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...
life, performing many penances, such as constant wearing of a hairshirt. He took as his spiritual director
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divinity, divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters ...
and confessor
In a number of Christian traditions, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, a confessor is a priest who hears the confessions of penitents and pronounces absolution.
History
During the Diocletianic Persecut ...
the popular local priest, Philip Neri
Saint Philip Neri , born Filippo Romolo Neri, (22 July 151526 May 1595) was an Italian Catholic priest who founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a society of secular clergy dedicated to pastoral care and charitable work. He is sometimes refe ...
, who was himself to found a religious congregation named the Congregation of the Oratory and be declared a saint.[
De Lellis monitored purchases, argued with tradesmen, and returned consignments of defective goods. He began to observe the poor attention the sick received from the staff of the hospital. He was led to invite a group of pious men to express their faith through the care of the patients at the hospital. Eventually he felt called to establish a religious community for this purpose, and that he should seek ]Holy Orders
In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...
for this task. Neri, his confessor, gave him approval for this endeavor, and a wealthy donor provided him with the income necessary to undertake his seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
studies.["St. Camillus de Lellis, Confessor", Butler, Alban. ''The Lives of the Saints'']
1866
He was ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
at the age of thirty-four on Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...
of 1584 by Lord Thomas Goldwell, Bishop of St Asaph
The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph.
The diocese covers the counties of Conwy county borough, Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The ...
, Wales, and the last surviving Catholic bishop of Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
.[
]
Founder
Thus De Lellis established the Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Infirm (abbreviated as M.I.), better known as the Camillians. His experience in wars led him to establish a group of health care
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
workers who would assist soldiers on the battlefield. The large red cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
on their cassock
The cassock, or soutane, is a Christian clerical clothing, clerical coat used by the clergy and Consecrated life, male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in ...
remains a symbol of the Congregation today, worn on their habits, today a universal symbol of charity and service. In 1585 his friends hired a large house for the group,[ where he taught them the basics of nursing care.
In 1586 ]Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V (; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death, in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order, where h ...
gave the group formal recognition as a congregation[ and assigned them the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Rome, which they still maintain.
De Lellis' concern for the proper treatment of the sick extended to the end of their lives. He had come to be aware of the many cases of people being buried alive, due to haste, and ordered that the Brothers of his Order wait fifteen minutes past the moment when the patient seemed to have drawn his last breath, in order to avoid this.][
]
Expansion
In 1588 he was invited to Naples, and with twelve companions founded there a new house. Certain galleys having the plague on board were forbidden to enter the harbour. The pious Servants of the sick (for that was the name they took) went on board, and attended them; on which occasion two of their number died of the pestilence. Camillus showed a like charity in Rome when a pestilential fever swept off great numbers, and again when that city was visited by a violent famine.
Pope Gregory XV
Pope Gregory XV (; ; 9 January 1554 – 8 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 until his death in 1623. He is notable for founding the Congregation for the ...
raised the Congregation to the status of an Order, equivalent with the mendicant order
Mendicant orders are primarily certain Catholic religious orders that have vowed for their male members a lifestyle of poverty, traveling, and living in urban areas for purposes of preaching, evangelization, and ministry, especially to less we ...
s, in 1591. At that time they established a fourth religious vow unique to their Order: “to serve the sick, even with danger to one's own life."
In 1594 De Lellis led his religious to Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
where they attended to the sick of the Ca' Granda, the main hospital of the city.
During the Battle of Canizza in 1601, while Camillians were helping with the wounded, the tent in which they were tending to the sick and in which they had all of their equipment and supplies was completely destroyed and burned to the ground. Everything in the tent was destroyed except the red cross of a religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally, some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious Hermit, eremitic and Anchorite, anchorit ...
belonging to one of the Camillians who was ministering to the wounded on the battlefield. This event was taken by the Camillans to manifest divine approval of the Red Cross of St. Camillus.
Throughout his life De Lellis' ailments caused him suffering, but he allowed no one to wait on him and would crawl to visit the sick when unable to stand and walk. It is said that Camillus possessed the gifts of healing
With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells ...
and prophecy
In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...
. He resigned as Superior General
A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of an 'order' of religious persons (nuns, priests, friars, etc) or, in other words, of a 'religious institute' in the Catholic Church, and in some other Christian denominations. The super ...
of the Order in 1607, but continued to serve as Vicar General
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
of the Order. By that time, communities of the Order had spread all throughout Italy and as far as Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. He assisted in a General Chapter
A chapter ( or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings.
Name
The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the reading of a chapter o ...
of the Order in 1613, after which he accompanied the new Superior General on an inspection tour of all the hospitals of the Order in Italy. In the course of that tour, he fell ill. He died in Rome in 1614, and was entombed at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
Veneration
De Lellis was beatified
Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...
by Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...
in the year 1742,[McKeown, Jonah. "St. Camillus de Lellis: Patron saint of hospitals, nurses, and the sick", Catholic News Agency, April 18, 2020]
/ref> and canonized
Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...
by him four years later in 1746.
In 1886, Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
proclaimed him patron of all hospitals and of the sick.[ In 1930, ]Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
named him co-patron, with Saint John of God
John of God, Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, O.H. (; ; born João Duarte Cidade Help:IPA/Portuguese, �ʒwɐ̃w̃ duˈwaɾ.t siˈða.ðɨ March 8, 1495 – March 8, 1550) was a Portuguese People, Portuguese soldier turned healthc ...
of nurses and nursing associations.[ His assistance is also invoked against gambling.
His mortal remains are located in the ]altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Rome, along with several of his relics. Also on display is the Cross which allegedly spoke to Camillus, and asked him, "Why are you afraid? Do you not realize that this is not your work but mine?" which has become the motto associated with De Lellis, as well as healthcare
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...
workers who were inspired by him.
The Congregation of the Servants of the Sick of St Camillus, the Daughters of St. Camillus, the Secular Institutes of Missionaries of the Sick Christ Our Hope, of the ''Kamillianische Schwestern'' (Camillan Sisters) and of the Lay Camillian Family, were born later of the charism
In Christianity, a spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek language, Greek singular: wikt:χάρισμα, χάρισμα
''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the ...
and spirituality
The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
of De Lellis.
Camillus' feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...
was originally inserted in the General Roman Calendar
The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the liturgy, liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and Sacred mysteries, mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgic ...
in 1762 for celebration on 18 July, since 14 July, the day of his death, was at that time taken by the feast of Saint Bonaventure
Bonaventure ( ; ; ; born Giovanni di Fidanza; 1221 – 15 July 1274) was an Italian Catholic Franciscan bishop, Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal, Scholasticism, scholastic theologian and philosopher.
The seventh Minister General ( ...
. It was then given the rank of Double
Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Multiplication by 2
* Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length
* A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1
* A ...
; later, it was changed in 1960 to that of "Third-Class Feast", and in the liturgical
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
changes of 1969 to that of an optional "Memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
", when it was also moved to the anniversary of his death, 14 July. In the U.S.A. it is currently an optional Memorial celebrated on 18 July, because on 14 July there is the Memorial of Kateri Tekakwitha.
Camillus is depicted ministering to the sick.
Commemoration
Camillus is honoured in the names of:
* San Camillo de Lellis, a church in Rome, Italy
* São Camilo de Lellis, a church in Vitória, Espírito Santo
Vitória (; ) is the capital of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. It is located on a small island within a bay where a number of rivers meet the sea. It was founded in 1551. The city proper is and has a population of 322,869 (2022), whilst ...
, Brazil
*The Camillians religious order, including the Daughters of St. Camillus
*The town Saint-Camille, Quebec and the parish Saint-Camille-de-Lellis, Quebec
*The town and village of Camillus, New York
Camillus is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 25,346.
The Town of Camillus is west of Syracuse, ...
* Saint Camillus Academy, former Catholic school in Kentucky, USA
* St Camille Association, providing residential care for people in West Africa suffering from mental illness
* St. Camillus Centre in Mohale's Hoek, Lesotho
* St. Camillus College of Manaoag in Northern Luzon, Philippines
* Saint Camillus Foundation, a charitable organization in Thailand, including the Camillian social center in Rayong
* St. Camillus Health Center, a skilled nursing facility located in Massachusetts, USA
* Camillian Hospital, a general hospital located in Bangkok, Thailand
* Saint Camillus Medical Center, in Hurst, Texas
* United Doctors of St. Camillus de Lellis Hospital, Batangas City, Philippines
* St. Camillus College of Manaoag Foundation, Inc., a non-profit, non-stock private school in Manaoag, Pangasinan, Philippines
* Camillian Family Foundation Philippines
*The Centers at St. Camillus, a rehabilitation and nursing home facility in Syracuse, New York
*St. Camillus Hall, the cardiac telemetry unit at Holy Family Hospital, Methuen, Massachusetts, USA
*St. Camillus Health Center, a nursing home and ancillaries clinic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
*St. Camillus Hospital, Limerick, Ireland
See also
* Scapular of Help of the Sick
* Saint Camillus, patron saint archive
References
External links
Website of the Camillians in the U.S.A.
Website of the international Camillian Order
* ttp://www.christianiconography.info/camilloLellis.html Saint Camillus de Lellisat th
Christian Iconography
web site.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lellis, Camillus De
1550 births
1614 deaths
People from the Province of Chieti
Camillians
Italian nurses
Male nurses
Founders of Catholic religious communities
16th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
17th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
Incorrupt saints
Italian Roman Catholic saints
16th-century Christian saints
17th-century Christian saints
Christian miracle workers
Canonizations by Pope Benedict XIV
Beatifications by Pope Benedict XIV