He skipped school. Gambled. Fought. Born to lose? Far from it. Born to serve his brothers and sisters through his later dedication to the sick and the dying. Camillus de Lellis was canonized in 1746 and later declared patron saint of the sick, nurses and of hospitals.
His life marked a turning point in medical care as we know it today. It also marked the beginning of a brotherhood that now spans the world and provides leadership in healthcare through Christian charity and love.
Camillus followed his father in a military career, and over the course of many years, lived recklessly with a compulsion for gambling. A leg injury resulting in numerous hospitalizations caused him a great deal of grief.
He resigned himself to a life as a construction worker at the monastery of the Capuchins in Manfredonia, Italy, after leaving the military. The Friars gradually discovered the natural goodness of the man beneath the rough exterior, and in 1575, at the age of 25, Camillus experienced a spiritual conversion and resolved to reform his life and dedicate himself to the service of God.
Still afflicted by his leg wound, Camillus de Lellis entered St. James’ Hospital in Rome, where he would live and work among his brothers, the sick. One night he had the inspiration to assemble a group of good men willing to dedicate themselves to the sick. Later on he took up studies for the priesthood and led an army of “Servants of the Sick” against the plague and epidemics that infested Rome. Ordained at the age of 34, Camillus might be what we today sometimes refer to as a “delayed vocation