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 Saint Camillus de Lellis Scott 1569 (2014) The Feast of Saint Camillus de Lellis is celebrated on July 14 on the General Roman Calendar. Prior to 1969, his feast was celebrated on July 18, which is the date upon which the feast is still celebrated in the United States. Vatican City issued the stamp above in 2014 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of his death. Born in 1550, Camillus had a troubled childhood and adolescence. His mother died when he was a child and his father neglected him. At age 17, he developed a disease of his leg, which remained with him for life and influenced his future directions. He was admitted to the San Giacomo Hospital for Incurables in Rome, where he was treated and eventually worked as a servant. He then served in the Venetian army for three years. Camillus had a love for gambling and by 1574 had gambled away all he had. He began working at the Capuchin friary at Manfredonia and experienced a conversion that changed his life. He had hoped to become a Capuchin friar, but was dismissed twice due to the apparently incurable sore on his leg. He returned to the infirmary at San Giacomo, where he began a life dedicated to the care of the sick. With the advice of his spiritual advisor and friend, Saint Philip Neri, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained at the age of 34. One year later, he left the infirmary and established the Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Infirm (abbreviated as M.I.), better known as the Camillians. The group was identified by the large red cross the members wore on their cassocks, a symbol that remains on their habits today and serves as a universal symbol of charity and service. Saint Camillus de Lellis died on July 14, 1614, in Rome. He is entombed at the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, the congregation's shrine. Along with Saint John of God, he has been named a patron of hospitals, nurses, and the sick. These two saints, along with Pope John Paul II, are commemorated on the stamps below, known as the Patrons of Hospitals and of All the Sick in the World issue (Scott 774-776, 1986). 
 Patrons of Hospitals and of All the Sick in the World, Scott 774-776 (1986) Saint Camillus de Lellis shown on Scott 774 (on left) References: |
