This unlikely saint was born in 1550, Italy. His mother died when he was a child and his father neglected him. As a consequence, Camillus sought love elsewhere and found it in gambling. At 17, he was afflicted with a disease of his leg that caused him to enter the San Giacomo Hospital for Incurables in Rome as both patient and servant. He was dismissed after nine months for his bad temper.
 
He served in the Venetian army for three years, gambling the whole time and by the time he was 24, he had lost everything—his money, his equipment as a soldier, even the clothes off his back--and was living on the streets. In desperation, he went to a Capuchin friary at Manfredonia and found employment helping them to construct a building. A Franciscan brother had a conversation with him about the course of his life, and he was moved to tears, and prayed to God for mercy. From that time on, he lived a life of penance.
 
He tried to join the Franciscans, but they would not accept him because of his diseased leg so he returned to the hospital at San Giacomo. Once there, he dedicated himself to serving the sick was eventually given responsibility for the whole hospital. At the advice of his friend Saint Philip Neri, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained at the age of 34. Feeling the call to start an order dedicated to care of the sick, Camillus left San Giacomo and founded a congregation of his own. Camillus was insistent that each patient be treated like Christ and that the hospital be kept clean. Members of his order worked in hospitals, prisons, and in the homes of those afflicted by disease. Some of his men were sent with the troops that were fighting in Hungary and Croatia in 1595, forming the first recorded military field ambulance. In Naples, he and his men went onto the galleys that had plague and were not allowed to land. When he discovered that there were people being buried alive, he ordered his brothers to continue the prayers for the dying fifteen minutes after apparent death.
 
Camillus suffered from both the disease of his leg, sores and severe kidney trouble throughout his life. In his last illness, since he could not walk on his own, he would crawl through the hospital to check on other people and offer them whatever he could.
 
This print is part of the "Happy Saint" collection by Anna Morelli.
 
The image is professionally printed, hand-signed by the artist, and comes enclosed in a plastic sleeve to ensure protection.