St. John of God and St. Camillus of Lellis are patron saints of the sick, of hospitals, and of those who care for the sick. John of God was a penitent who dedicated his life serving the sick and outcasts of society.
An only child, he was born in Portugal in 1495. When John was eight years of age, he suddenly disappeared. It wasn’t clear who took him away. Soon he was a homeless outcast in Oropesa, Spain. Eventually, he became a shepherd in the countryside.
At 22 John became a soldier and joined the army that fought for Charles V. For some eighteen years John was a trooper employed at different parts of Europe.
When John was over 40, his regiment was disbanded, and he made a pilgrimage on foot to St. James of Compostella (Santiago de Compostela). There he made a confession and resolved to spend the rest of his life to atone for his past sins. And at the age of 42, he once again became a shepherd.
He strove to pray during his hours of solitude on the hills. One day during prayer he was stung with remorse over his dissolute days in the army. He concluded that he deserved contempt and that he must do good to balance the harm he had done. So he left his shepherd’s life and started off for Muslim-dominated Africa to ransom Christian slaves and perhaps even to substitute himself for one of them.
However, while he was on his way to Africa, a priest dissuaded him from continuing such a dangerous undertaking. John listened to the priest and returned to Spain.
There John went from village to village, selling religious articles and books. At a street corner near the city gate of Granada, he rented a shop, where he continued to sell religious items. One day, he heard St. John of Ávila preaching at the neighbouring church. It was the feast of St. Sebastian, and John of Ávila preached about the glory of being made a fool for the sake of Jesus Christ. John of God was so moved by the sermon that he decided to become a fool for Christ in atonement for his past sins. He began acknowledging his sinfulness in public and went about the streets in such a wild state that the neighbours were convinced he was of unsound mind. Eventually he was confined to an insane asylum for some months.
One day, John of Ávila visited John of God and gave him a sound scolding. John of Ávila persuaded him to abandon his extraordinary mode of penance and to undertake something more helpful to himself and others.
John of God rented another house and immediately began to gather in it the outcasts of the town. He looked after the patients he gathered, spent time with them, and urged them to pray and to make a confession. He begged for donations to maintain his establishment.
The work of John was supported by some but criticized by others. Some people, including the people he helped, treated him badly. One day, while praying before a crucifix, John seemed to see before him Christ Jesus, Our Lady, and St. John the Apostle. Our Lady stepped forward with a crown of thorns. She pressed it hard upon John’s head and said, “John, it is by thorns and sufferings that you must win the crown my Son has waiting for you in heaven.” John replied, “From your hand, Lady, thorns and sufferings are welcome; they are my flowers and my roses.”
When John was close to death, the bishop himself gave him the last rites. John died on March 8, 1550, on his 55th birthday.
天主若望以服務作補贖
天主聖若望與聖卡米諾斯同是病人、醫院及醫護人員的主保。天主若望在悔改後，投身服務病人及被社會拋棄的人，作己罪的補贖。
1495年，天主若望出生於葡萄牙，是家中的獨子。八歲時，不知何故失去踪影，後來竟然在西班牙的奧羅佩薩城當了無家可歸者；最後，他在城郊替人牧放羊群。
若望二十二歲從軍，為查理五世作戰，又在歐洲不同地方受僱為僱傭兵達十八年之久。
軍隊解散後，年越四十的若望，步行到孔波斯特拉的聖雅各伯城朝聖；在那裡，他辦了告解，決定用餘生做補贖，彌補過往一切罪孽。四十二歲時，又當牧羊人維生。
藉牧羊之便，若望單獨在山上時，會用時間祈禱。一天在獨處祈禱期間，若望回顧當兵的日子，對自己的行為十分懊悔，認為被人鄙視是活該，應該做些事情作補償。遂毅然離開牧羊的行業，要到穆斯林的非洲，設法營救做奴隸的基督徒，甚至打算以自己作為交換他們自由的條件。
不過，踏上非洲的路途上，一位神父勸說若望不應該有這打算，置自己信仰於險境；若望聽從了他。
回到西班牙，若望村過村，出售聖物和聖書；來到格拉納達省，他在城門口租了街角小商店，繼續售賣聖物。聖塞巴斯蒂瞻禮日，若望在鄰近聖堂聽了亞維拉聖若望的講道，說及為基督作愚人的光榮，非常感動，矢志為基督而當愚人，以償己罪。他竟然在街上隨意公開自己的往孽，作異常的贖罪行為，路人為之側目，被關進瘋人院幾個月。亞維拉聖若望向他進諫，叫他做些利人利己的實事，始為上策。
天主若望被釋放後，租賃了一所房屋，專門收容被社會離棄的人，照料患病的人，陪伴他們，規勸他們祈禱和妥善告解。另方面，他四出乞求捐助，以維持自己的服務。旁人對若望所作的，毀譽均有，甚至對他恩將仇報。
有一日，若望在苦像前祈禱，赫然看見基督、聖母和聖若望。聖母趨前，手中拿著茨冠，緊緊套戴在他的頭上，說：「若望，你要以荊棘和苦痛，來賺得我聖子在天堂上為你預備好的榮冠。」他回答說：「主母，我願意從妳手中迎接荊棘和苦痛；它們是我的鮮花和我的玫瑰。」
若望臨終時，當地主教親自為他施傅病人聖事。若望在1550年3月8日與世長辭，剛好是他五十五歲的生日。