St. Philip Neri and the Oratorians

Hello friends, sorry for the absence of late. My schoolwork has been a bit more time-consuming than I had thought it would be, and so while I'm still hoping to get up a post soon on my Easter travels (to France and Poland), it may not be as soon as I would like. We're in our final week of classes and my first exam is a week from tomorrow, so academics take a priority right now.

I did want to drop in though to share a bit about the saint whose feast the Church celebrates today, St. Philip Neri. Born in Florence in 1515, he came from nobility and was educated by the Dominicans. After working successfully as a businessman for a while under the employment of a wealthy uncle, Philip decided to turn down the offer to be his heir because he realized his deepest desires were not for worldly success or material comforts. In 1533, he moved to Rome where he continued his studies, also working as a tutor in the house of a nobleman. After about three years, however, he decided that he had learned enough, so he sold his books and gave the money to the poor. Although he never studied again, his theological knowledge was highly regarded even many years later.

It was at this time, at about the age of 20, that Philip began to devote himself to serving the poor and visiting the sick of Rome, a ministry which would later earn him the distinction "Apostle of Rome." He traversed the city to talk with anyone of any social class and share with them whatever he saw they needed at the moment -- joy, sorrow, counsel, kindness. He dropped in on the brothels nightly to encourage the prostitutes of the city to join him in praying at the local church or a nearby catacomb. He visited business districts, the homes of individuals, merchants' markets, the slums, all in the desire to share the love of God with others and to convince them of serving the Lord in their daily life. In addition to the poor, Philip often mingled with the city's nobility as well, but he himself lived a very simple, almost hermitic life. He combated the intense spiritual persecutions he suffered with long periods of prayer and fasting, though usually always in ways unknown to those around him. He became friends with St. Ignatius of Loyola and encouraged many to join his nascent Society of Jesus. Meanwhile, his own apostolates continued to spread and diversify. In 1548, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Trinity to minister to convalescents and pilgrims to Rome. In 1551, upon the advice of his spiritual director, he was ordained a priest. His priestly ministry was legendary in the city, especially in promoting the regular reception of the sacraments. In particular, his skill and piety as a confessor was renowned and he was said to have told many penitents the secret sins they had failed to confess.

Santa Maria in Vallicella, better known in Rome as Chiesa Nuova

In 1556, he began the meetings of the group for which he would become most famous, the Congregation of the Oratory. It began informally, a group of men or boys whom he had met and whom he gathered together for prayers, hymns, readings from the Bible or Church Fathers, and a lecture and discussion on some religious or pastoral topic. These groups multiplied around the city, the continent, and eventually the world, and the congregation was formally recognized by Pope Gregory XIII in 1575. The Oratorians continue to play an active role around the world today, most prominently here in Italy where the group began. They are involved in parish administration, campus ministry, teaching, work with the poor, and various other active ministries.

I had the chance today on the way back from class to pray in front of the tomb of Philip Neri, located at the Oratorian headquarters at the Chiesa Nuova ("New Church") here in Rome. He died in 1595 after several years of suffering and was canonized relatively quickly in 1622. He remains an inspiring model of active priestly ministry for those of us studying to be priests and a model of holiness and service to the poor and needy for all of us.

St. Philip Neri, pray for us!