St. Richard Pampuri (1897-1930)

Ermilio Pampuri was born in the village of Trivolzio 12 km from the city of Pavia (Italy) in the year 1897. He was the tenth child of eleven born into a poor family. His mother died when he was three years of age and his father died when he was eleven. But his doctor uncle looked after him. After high school, he enrolled in the faculty of medicine at Pavia University. World War I was raging and Pampuri was called up into the army in 1917. In 1922 he graduated in medicine and became the village doctor of Morimondo where he remained until 1927. He cared for patients and their families, often giving free medicine and often having almost nothing left of his stipend. He entered the Hospitaller Order taking the name of Brother Richard. On 24 October he made his religious profession and was placed in charge of the free dentistry at the Order’s Santa Orsola Hospital at Brescia. From his childhood to this moment he had always shown the greatest disposition to charity. His health worsened and he died at Milan on 1 May 1930. Just prior to his death he wrote to his sister: ‘I want to exclusively be aware that I am clinging to the Lord’s charity and mercy’. He was beatified in 1981 and canonized on the 1 November 1989.