There's a good chance you won't find anything quite like Feast Week at St. Camillus. It's a tradition uniquely our own – a week each year when the whole campus comes together to celebrate our patron, St. Camillus de Lellis, and renew the mission and values that shape our community every day.
In the Catholic tradition, Feast Days are a chance to honor the lives of the Saints, reflect on their example, and seek their intercession. St. Camillus de Lellis dedicated his life to improving health care and serving the poor, the sick, and the dying with extraordinary compassion. He founded the Order of St. Camillus, which continues that ministry in 38 countries today. Each July, we join that worldwide celebration by observing both the International Feast Day on July 14 and the U.S. Feast Day on July 18.
As our namesake, St. Camillus reminds us that compassion is more than a value – it's a way of life. His example calls each of us to serve residents, families, co-workers, and our wider community with kindness, dignity, and love.
Throughout the week, residents, employees, families, and the Camillian community gathered for a variety of special events and traditions, including:
- Feast Day Masses in all three campus chapels, concelebrated by priests of the Order with special music
- Anointing of the Sick Masses
- Camillians in the USA, a special art gallery exhibit and grand opening
- Ice cream socials
- Resident and employee cookouts
- The Vada Procession, following the statue of St. Camillus around campus with prayer and song
- A screening of a film on the life of St. Camillus
- The Spirit of St. Camillus Award Ceremony and Luncheon
- The assembly of 400 care kits for neighbors in need
- And much more!
Feast Week is filled with celebration, but its purpose reaches beyond the events themselves. It's a reminder of who we are – a community rooted in faith, compassion, and service, carried forward by the enduring legacy of St. Camillus.
