Camillus was born in little village of Bucchianico in Abruzzo, Italy on May 25, 1550. He lived an enthralling history, a “giant” in stature and charity, and his spirit is still present today in the “new school of charity” of which his sons are both disciples and teachers.

Camillus had a sinful past yet the grace of the Lord led him into his saintly future. He followed his father in a military career. The military life disciplined his conduct yet it increased his passion for dice and cards which dragged him into disputes and brawls among the idle soldiers. After his father died, Camillus was impelled to go to St. James Hospital in Rome to be treated for a wound received on his right foot. At the hospital, he became known at once for his bullying and weakness for gambling. Every penny he earned was immediately lost to gambling. Finally reduced to poverty, he resigned himself, against his will, to becoming a construction worker at the monastery of the Capunchins in Manfredonia.

The experience on the road to Manfredonia marked the great conversion in Camillus’ life. A dramatic story that every Camillian wishes to tell! He discovered the Lord! From that time onwards the hospital became his home, and the sick became his brothers and sisters. He decided to gather a group of men to care for the sick called “Camillians-men with red cross on their chest. Through his example and teaching, he began “a new school of charity”, a revolution of love for the sick! Wherever there was a hospital or the need to help the sick, Camillus hastened, leading there a community of his companions-above all, in places where reigned or plague broke out.