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St. Camillus de Lellis

St. Camillus de Lellis

Feast date: Jul 18

On July 18 the U.S. Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Camillus de Lellis, who turned from his life as a soldier and gambler to become the founder of an order dedicated to caring for the sick. In some other countries, he is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, July 14.

Camillus was born during 1550 in the Abruzzo region of Naples in present-day Italy. His mother died during his infancy, and he lost his father, a former army officer, six years later. The young man took after his late father professionally, serving in the armies of Venice and Naples until 1574.

During his military service Camillus developed a severe gambling problem. He repented of the habit in 1575, when he found himself impoverished and forced to do menial work for a group of Franciscans. In February of that year he resolved to change his life and soon sought to join the order.

A wound in one of his legs, however, was seen as incurable and kept him from becoming a Franciscan. After this rejection, he traveled to Rome and worked for four years in a hospice. Committed to a life of prayer and penance, he wore a hair shirt and received spiritual direction from St. Philip Neri.

Grieved by the quality of service given to the sick, Camillus decided to form an association of Catholics who would provide them with both physical and spiritual care. He studied for the priesthood, and was ordained in 1584.

Members of his order worked in hospitals, prisons, and in the homes of those afflicted by disease. The order's original name, the “Fathers of a Good Death,” reflected the desire to aid in their spiritual salvation and prepare the dying to receive their last rites.

Later known as the Order of the Ministers of the Sick, or simply as the “Camillians,” the group received papal approval in 1586 and was confirmed as a religious order in 1591. In addition to the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, they took a vow of unfailing service to the sick.

Camillus himself suffered physical ailments throughout his life. His leg wound failed to heal over the course of almost five decades, in addition to which he suffered from sores and severe kidney trouble. But he is said to have spent time with the sick even while unable to walk, by crawling from bed to bed.

The founder of the Ministers of the Sick lived to assist at a general chapter of his order in Rome during 1613, and to make a last visitation of many of their hospitals. Learning that he himself was incurably ill, Camillus responded: “I rejoice in what has been told me. We shall go into the house of the Lord.”

Receiving the Eucharist for the last time, he declared: “O Lord, I confess I am the most wretched of sinners, most undeserving of your favor; but save me by your infinite goodness. My hope is placed in your divine mercy through your precious blood.”

After giving his last instructions to his fellow Ministers of the Sick, St. Camillus de Lellis died on July 14, 1614. He was canonized by Benedict XIV in 1746, and later named – along with Saint John of God – as one of the two main co-patrons of nurses and nursing associations in 1930.

Memo calls for 'generous' religious accommodations in US executive branch (Religion Clause)

The US Office of Personnel Management issued a memorandum on July 16 calling on executive branch agencies to “adopt a generous approach to approving religious accommodations” requested by the over two million civilian federal employees.

Accommodations include allowing remote work, otherwise frowned upon by the Trump administration.

Benedictine abbey in Belgium temporarily dissolved following abuse allegations (CNA)

Citing abuse allegations involving adults, the abbot president of the Benedictine Subiaco Cassinese Congregation temporarily dissolved community life at Keizersberg Abbey in Belgium and dispersed its monks to other monasteries.

The ministry of a deacon at the abbey was also suspended because of “defects of form in his ordination to the diaconate,” CNA reported.

In addition, Abbot President Ignasi Fossas, OSB, suspended the abbot of a Dutch abbey, barred him from public ministry, and referred his case to the Vatican. In doing so, he cited “transgressive behavior between adults.”

9 people sentenced for murder of Myanmar priest (CWN)

Nine people have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the February murder of Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mandalay in Myanmar (map).

Vatican diplomat calls for immediate debt relief, says poverty is 'central' international priority (Holy See Mission)

Addressing a UN forum, a Vatican diplomat said that “my Delegation reaffirms that poverty must remain the central and urgent priority of the international community. Poverty eradication is not merely an economic exercise; it is a moral imperative.”

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said earlier this week that “efforts to eradicate poverty are undermined by the unbearable burden of repaying sovereign debts. It is impossible to eradicate poverty when 3.4 billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on healthcare and education combined.”

“Accordingly, my Delegation calls for immediate debt relief” for impoverished nations, “including cancellation and debt restructuring, as well as access to concessional financing,” he added.

Historian examines wartime record of Vatican radio, newspaper under Pius XII (CWN)

In its July 16 and July 17 editions, L’Osservatore Romano published a two-article series by Italian historian Sergio Favretto examining, in depth, the record of Vatican Radio and the Vatican newspaper during World War II, when Venerable Pius XII was pope.

EU, US bishops lament attack on Gaza parish (CWN)

The presidents of COMECE (the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union) and the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued statements mourning the Israeli military attack on Gaza’s sole Catholic parish.

Jerusalem's Christian leaders deplore 'heinous' Israeli attack on Gaza's Catholic parish (CWN)

The patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem denounced the Israeli military attack on Gaza’s sole Catholic parish.

Catholic parish, Christian homes set aflame in Syria (CWN)

Fire was set to a church and dozens of Christian homes in As-Sawra al-Kabira (Al-Sura al-Kabira), a small village in southern Syria, according to multiple media reports.

James Hitchcock, Catholic historian and commentator, dead at 87 (CNA)

James Hitchcock, a noted historian and leading figure in an American Catholic intellectual revival of the late 20th century, died on July 14 at the age of 87, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Raised in St. Louis, Hitchcock earned his undergraduate degree from St. Louis University and a doctorate from Princeton. He returned to St. Louis University to join the history department, teaching there for decades before his retirement in 2013.

With his books—including Recovery of the Sacred, Catholicism and Modernity, and The Decline and Fall of Radical Catholicism, Hitchcock earned wide following among American Catholics searching for stability during tumultuous years following Vatican II. He was a key figure in the growth of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, and a regular contributor to orthodox Catholic journals.

James and his wife Helen Hitchcock—herself a key figure in American Catholic history, as the founder of Women for Faith and Family—had four daughters. Helen Hitchcock died in 2014.