Who We Are

Ministry Feature: Sister Camillus Erb, Sister of Charity, dedicated nurse, Navy veteran, laid to rest

 The late Sister Camillus Erb, SC began her ministry with the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill on March 25, 1948, after receiving an honorable discharge from the United States Naval Reserve where she served for two years in the Nursing Corps. In her reflections on Sister Camillus’ life and ministry, Sister Rosemary Donley, SC described Sister Camillus’ military career. “After boot camp in Portsmouth, Virginia, she was assigned to the Navy’s receiving hospitals in Philadelphia and then in San Diego. She cared for the Navy nurses who had been repatriated after imprisonment by the Japanese. These nurses were the first women prisoners of war. She also cared foryoung sailors who had been captured and/or injured during combat. Many of them suffered from what we now call, post-traumatic stress syndrome. These patients influenced her life and her practice.” 

Sister Camillus (left) and Sister Grace Hayes at Roselia Foundling in 1957

After her discharge from military duty, Sister Camillus’ nursing career became focused on the care of children. She was asked to help with the babies born at Roselia Foundling, an institution administered and staffed by the Sisters of Charity that provided prenatal and obstetrical care for unmarried and married women. While she was serving at Roselia Foundling, she made the decision to enter the Sisters of Charity. On the day she received her habit, Faith Erb, the former recruitment poster girl for the United States Navy, was suitably given the religious name belonging to, a 16th century Italian soldier nurse and patron of the sick, Camillus.

 A graduate of Pittsburgh Hospital School of Nursing, Duquesne University, and the University of Pittsburgh, Sister Camillus was a dedicated nursing supervisor at Providence Hospital in Beaver Falls, Pittsburgh Hospital, and Jeannette District Memorial Hospital.   An energetic, hard worker with a sense of humor, Sister Camillus was an enthusiastic spokesperson for her profession.  Sister Rosemary Donley recollected, “You often saw her picture in the Jeannette and Greensburg newspapers when Jeannette Hospital opened a new service, installed some high technology equipment or announced the birth of the first bicentennial baby.” (Click here to read Sister Rosemary Donley’s reflections on the life of Sister M. Camillus Erb in its entirety.) 

Sister Camillus (front) with Sister Virginia Marie Waudby and Sister Rosemary Donley  on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee

After her retirement from Jeannette District Memorial Hospital, Sister Camillus moved to Washington, DC where she volunteered at Catholic University. As a veteran, she enjoyed the availability of historical monuments and military pomp and circumstance of the city.

Sister Camillus spent her last days at Caritas Christi, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity. She was laid to rest on June 23 with military honors. She lived a life of distinguished service to God, her patients, and her country.  Sister Camillus believed along with Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, “There can be no disappointment where the soul’s only desire and expectation is to meet His adored will and to fulfill it.”

Look up to the blue heavens, and love Him. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton