St. Camillus de Lellis (1550 -1614), Founder of the Order of St. Camillus, started the mission from an ordinary, imperfect life and embraced the extraordinary calling to serve the sick. Following his Spiritual Conversion on February 2, 1575, St. Camillus courageously tended to the poor and the sick and invited others to serve with compassion, establishing the Ministers of the Infirm (MI) in 1582. He is the Patron Saint of the Sick and Healthcare Workers.
The charism was given initially by God to the Founder, but it evolves, develops, and renews itself within the life of the Order founded by him. The charism of mercy towards the sick as Camillus understood it and as it is understood in our day is based on the following two pillars:
The Order of St. Camillus is a devout group of Roman Catholic men dedicated to caring for the sick, both in the United States and abroad. We follow in the footsteps of our Founder, Saint Camillus de Lellis. Over 400 years ago, St. Camillus encouraged his followers to love the sick as deeply and unconditionally as a mother loves her sick child. It’s still our mantra today.
