St. Camillius de Lellis (1550-1614) is the Founder and Patron of the Order. 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.On May 25, 1550, Camilla Compelli de Laureto – at almost sixty years of age – gave birth to Camillus de Lellis in Bucchianico, Italy. Camillus was welcomed with great joy, also with much anxiety, for his birth was preceded by a strange dream that profoundly disturbed his mother.

Camillus chose a red cross as the distinguishing badge for the members of his Order to wear upon their black cassocks. Once when he was discouraged, he heard the consoling words from the crucifix, “This is my work, not yours”. After leading the movement throughout Italy, Camillus died on July 14, 1614. In 1742, Pope Benedict XIV proclaimed Camillus de Lellis blessed; in 1746 he canonized him, calling him the “Founder of a new school of charity”. St. Camillus continues to inspire because of his undeniable human nature. A “giant” in stature and charity, his spirit is very much present today in the life of each Camillian.

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