Through the ministry of mercy towards the sick, we contribute toward the welfare and promotion of the whole human family, whose joys, hopes, grief's and anxieties find an echo in our hearts, and we cooperate in the building up and growth of the whole Body of Christ.  Therefore, following the example of our holy Father Camillus, we take it upon ourselves to esteem evermore, to love with all our heart and to practice with all our strength the service of the sick, even at the risk of our life.

Mission Statement of the St. Camillus Campus

“By providing services to the poor, sick and elderly with a sense of compassion and love, St. Camillus Campus offers hope and meaning to  those who are suffering, comfort and security to those who are aging and serenity to those who are dying, taking into account each person’s innate dignity, unique needs and God-given rights.”

St. Camillus Campus Core Values

Wholistic Care:  On St. Camillus Campus, wholistic care means concern for the needs of each individual – physical, emotional, social and spiritual.

The resident’s rights are embodied in the Resident’s Bill of Rights.  Respect for the residents and their dignity is reflected in everything we do, from the time of admission, to the pastoral care services offered, to the secure and comfortable environment we provide.

It is our goal to treat each employee as an individual and with respect, recognizing the unique talents they bring to our Campus.  It is the staff at all levels which determine our character and strength.

Compassion:  On St. Camillus Campus, compassion means feeling, caring, journeying with one another in a way that gives a sense of caring and presence in a very committed, integral way.

It means we have been called upon to provide an empathetic presence with those who are suffering physically, emotionally or spiritually.

Community:  On St. Camillus Campus, community means collaboration with one another – management, employees, residents, families – using our unique gifts and talents to build a community that fulfills the continuum of care philosophy.

Hope: On St. Camillus Campus, hope means that no matter how difficult things may seem, God is always present with us, as individuals and as a community, to help us on the journey of life.

The Camillian ChArism

Charisms are gifts of the Spirit for the good of God’s people.  When Camillus decided to form a community of brothers to serve the sick out of love, he was living out this charism.  Camillus took this special gift of compassion and healing for the sick and nourished it with sacrifice, vision and charity. This charism was developed into a passionate Christian force that has touched millions of lives.

The Constitution of the Order begins with a theological-pastoral reflection on the charism.  It is presented as the “gift to witness to the world the ever-present love of Christ for the sick, given by God to our Order as a living part of the Church, through St. Camillus.”  This love has as its source God himself, manifested fully in Christ, and is diffused in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Concretely, our charism is expressed and put into practice in the works of mercy towards the sick, by assuming any service in the health care world.

Camillian Spirituality

Every charism is expressed through a mission which is carried out in the ministry.  It is the charism of our founder that is the source of and continued nourishment for our spirituality.  In reality there is one Christian spirituality: to live Christ in us, to live an attitude of love which becomes service, and to live as a child of God and as a brother or sister to our neighbor.  However, there are many different ways of living out this reality.

A few lines in our Constitution indicate that the spirituality which flows from our charism is the presence of Christ in us as we serve the sick, and the presence of Christ in the sick whom we serve.  On the one hand, we identify with the merciful Christ and become good Samaritans to our neighbor; on the other, we recognize the suffering Christ in the person who suffers.  Simply put:  we wish to be Jesus for the sick and to serve Jesus in the sick.

Logo and the Story of the Red Cross

Camillians today continue to identify themselves with a simple red cross on their habits, a symbol universally recognized today as the sign of charity and service.  This was the Original Red Cross, hard at work during battle, famine, epidemics, and disease, hundreds of years before the International Red Cross Organization was formed.  During the battle of Canizza in 1601, the Lord permitted a miraculous event to occur which manifested His approval of the red cross of St. Camillus.  While Camillians were busily occupied with the wounded, the tent in which they were busily occupied with the wounded and in which they had all of their equipment and supplies was completely destroyed and burned to the ground.  Everything in the tent was destroyed except the red cross of a habit belonging to one of the Camillians who was ministering to the wounded on the battlefield.  Other miracles gradually increased devotion to the red cross.  Through the symbol of the red cross, many throughout the ages have experienced a deepening of their faith in Christ the Healer.

Our Patroness, Our Lady Health of the Sick

Our Order cultivates a particular love for Mary, Mother of our Lord, invoked as  “Queen of the Servants of the Sick”.  As Camillians, our relationship with Mary is deeply rooted in the origins of our Order and in the spirituality handed down to us by our Founder.

The liturgical calendar of our Order has  three major feasts: St. Camillus on July 18^th, the Immaculate Conception on December 8^th and Our Lady Health of the Sick on November 16^th.

The Virgin Mary was a very important figure for St. Camillus and for his community.  Camillus had not spared any effort to instill in his followers a deep and sincere devotion to Mary, repeating continually that: “Every grace that God has bestowed on me I have received by the intercession of Mary, Treasurer of all graces.”  Every year, with much devotion and piety, he celebrated the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary (February 2^nd), day of his conversion to the Lord at the age of 25 years (1575).  It was on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (August 15, 1582) that Camillus received the inspiration to found a community.  It was on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 1591) that Camillus and 25 companions offered themselves to the Lord’s service, consecrating themselves perpetually as Servants of the Sick by the first profession of vows of the new Order.

Camillus entrusted to his Order the task of remembering always the Blessed Virgin.  He lifted her up  as an example when he cared for the sick and the dying:  Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth to assist her and Mary’s presence at the foot of the cross when Jesus was dying.

“By this token, the Servants of the Sick and those who exercise the apostolate of mercy must approach her as a very special patroness, as a guide and teacher, in addition to the fact that she is also our mother," Camillus would say.

Two years after the death of Camillus, Mary was honored as the Queen of the Servants.

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