Dusting off the soul...

... 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 
by Fr Stefano M Manelli, FFI

    

St Camillus de Lellis

Italy ~ 1550-1614

Encouraged to priesthood by St Philip Neri

Founder of Order: Fathers of Good Death

Click here: Order of St. Camillus

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

 Click here: PRAYER TO ST CAMILLUS - YouTube (1:45 mins)
St. Camillus De Lellis - YouTube

Click here: St. Camillus de Lellis, Rash Vows, and Sanctity’s Daily Grind |

The figure on this crucifix, which is venerated in the Church of Mary Magdalene in 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.

Crucifix image above from Miraculous Images of Our Lord, by Joan Carroll Cruz, TAN Books (1993)

St Camillus, pray for us!