Camillus was born in 1550 in Bucchianico Italy and spent his youth as a soldier of fortune. Left penniless through gambling he eventually found employment at a hospital for incurables in Rome. Influenced by St Philip Neri and others, he was ordained a priest by Thomas Goldwell, the last of the old English Catholic bishops. In 1584 he founded the Servants of the Sick (Camillians), who wore a red cross on their chests and vowed to serve the sick, even at the risk of their lives. He died in Rome in 1614. – CTS New Daily Roman Missal 2012, p 2828; Christian Prayer 1990, p 1171
