The patron saint of doctors and of the sick, St. Camillus is honored by a feast day on July 18. Camillus de Lellis was a product of Bocchianico, Italy. He was a brawler who fought against the Turks with the Venetian Army. Addicted to gambling and and penniless in 1574 Naples, he failed to become a Capuchin novice due to diseased limbs and turned to helping the sick.
Camillus directed St. Giacomo Hospitals in Rome. He founded the Camellians, or Ministers of the Sick. He founded hospitals in Rome and Naples and attended to plague victims at Rome. The Camellians were made into an Order by Pope Gregory XIV and ministered to wounded soldiers.
In frail health for many years, Camillus resigned as Order superior in 1607 and died in Rome. He was declared saint in 1746 by Pope Leo XIII and named patron of nurses by Pope Pius XI.
