... I was sick and you looked
after me ... Matthew
25:36c
"St Camillus de Lellis never celebrated Holy Mass without first
going to Confession, because he wanted at least "to dust off" his
soul. Once at sundown in a public square in Livorno, before taking leave of a
priest of the same religious order, foreseeing that he would not have a priest
to confess to on the following morning before his Mass, the Saint paused, took
off his hat, made the sign of the Cross and went to Confession right there in
the square to his confrere."
From Jesus Our
Eucharistic Love (pg
32)
by Fr Stefano M Manelli,
FFI
St Camillus de
Lellis
Italy
~ 1550-1614
Encouraged
to priesthood by St Phillip Neri
Founder
of Order: Fathers of Good Death
Patron
of hospitals, nurses and the sick
FEAST DAY - July
18
The
Camellians took the vow to "devote themselves to
material and spiritual care of the sick and needy". St. Camillus honored the poor and sick as
living images of Christ. His reverence in their presence was as great as if he
were really and truly in the presence of his Lord.
“The poor and the sick are the heart of God. In
serving them,
we serve Jesus the Christ. ...We want to assist the
sick
with the same love that a mother has for her only sick
child."
- Saint Camillus de
Lellis
From Miraculous Images of Our Lord, by Joan Carroll Cruz,
published by TAN Books and Publishers (1993). Used with permission.
The figure on this crucifix, which is venerated in the Church Mary
Magdalene Rome ,
is the one which in 1582 detached its arm and comforted St.Camillus de Lellis
with these words "Take Courage,
faint-hearted one. Continue the work you have begun. I will be with you
because it is my work." Camillus was very discouraged at
the time because of opposition to his health care reforms. Our Lord's words
were instrumental in the Saint pushing ahead and founding the Order of the
Ministers of the Sick.
St
Camillus, pray for us!
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