Care for the sick, including those entering God’s kingdom, defined the life of St. Camillus de Lellis. The Italian saint whose life spanned parts of the 16th and 17th centuries became the inspiration for the Camillian order, priests whose lives are dedicated to offering mercy to the sick.

One hundred and five years after coming to Milwaukee, St. Camillus Life Plan Community, a Catholic senior community in Wauwatosa that offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, home- and community-based services and hospice, celebrated the saint through Feast Week surrounding his July 14 feast day.

“Our goal in the mission office is really to help people understand who St. Camillus was, what he stood for, what he taught his followers, and really how that relates to our work today,” said Vice President of Mission and Strategic Planning Kelly Gaglione.

Fr. Agustin “Jojo” Orosa, MI, provincial delegate of the Order of St. Camillus and president of St. Camillus Health System Inc., has lived immersed in the life and teachings of St. Camillus and recently spent 10 days at his birthplace.

Born to a mother who died when he was young and a father who was frequently away on military duty, St. Camillus followed his father’s career before suffering a leg wound that was not properly treated. The injury came around the same time he experienced a spiritual conversion.

“It was kind of like a moment of realization for him,” Fr. Orosa said. “Out of all these experiences, Camillus organized and founded a group of men dedicated to the care of the poorest of the poor. And during his time, really in Rome, the pope, the cardinals, recognized his particular care for the dying that no one was paying attention to.”

His life and sainthood led to the founding of the Order of St. Camillus, which established a presence in Milwaukee in 1921 when members of the order arrived and opened a hospital on the city’s south side. A second hospital followed in Wauwatosa in 1932. Over the years, that hospital has transitioned into its current ministry of care rooted in human dignity.

“The ministry is constant, and it really touches the human condition of each one of us — that we experience suffering, we experience sickness,” Fr. Orosa said.

Feast Week showcased both the life of St. Camillus and the ministry that employees, volunteers and community members continue to live each day.

Sacramentally, the celebration included special Masses and anointings. Gaglione said Fr. Orosa also presented on the life of St. Camillus, while staff created an art gallery highlighting the Camillian order in the United States and its impact locally and nationally. That impact was also recognized through four Spirit of St. Camillus Awards presented to employees and others who exemplify the saint’s mission.

“It’s a good example of how we’re living the values of St. Camillus to this day,” Gaglione added. “What is the number one thing that St. Camillus stood for and taught his followers? It was to love and care with a very, very high level of compassion. That’s what that award is all about.”

She recalled one recipient from the culinary staff serving the memory care area.

“Families were telling us how he gets to know their loved one so specifically that he knows if they want cream in their coffee, or if they prefer bacon over sausage,” she said. “That brings dignity to the residents and comfort to the families as well.”

That same care and compassion extend daily to about 600 residents in independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care, including about 40 retired Jesuit priests. It also takes innovative forms, such as an intergenerational mobility program.

“That really helps people to regain mobility that they once had through innovative means of getting to know the resident in a very personal way, so that we know what motivates them,” Gaglione said.

The community also partners with Marquette University students who volunteer their time and talents
while building relationships with residents.

Those are just a few examples of the vision for care that leaders at St. Camillus say guides the community every day.

“We don’t want to just take care of the physical need of our residents, but to create a community where people live happily, and are comfortable that we’re taking care of their spiritual needs.”

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