Feast of Saint Philip Neri

Saint Philip Neri Scott 995 (1995) Philip Neri (1515-1595) was a priest and the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory (Oratorians). The stamp above was issued as part of a three-stamp set referred to as "Three Notable Saints" and commemorated the fourth centenary of his death. In addition, Vatican City issued a stamp in 2015 honoring the 500th anniversary of the birth of Saint Philip Neri (along with Saint Teresa of Avila), which is shown at the bottom of the page. Born in Florence, he gave up a life in business at Naples and moved to Rome in 1534, where he lived in extreme poverty in an attic, living as a hermit for two years. Educated by Dominicans at the Convent of San Marco, he studied theology and philosophy. He encouraged others to join an apostolate to care for the sick in hospitals and visit Roman churches. A vision in 1548 convinced him to look after pilgrims to Rome and those who were convalescing from illnesses. Neri was ordained a priest in 1551 and formed a community of priests who focused on confession and spiritual direction. He was known to fall into ecstasy in prayer or while saying Mass. He went on to form his Congregation of the Oratory at San Girolamo, which was approved in 1575. The Oratory received many pilgrims, ranging from cardinals to the destitute, as well as foreigners. Facade of Santa Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa Nuova), Rome Photo by Georg Schelbert (2002) From Wikimedia Commons Used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license He built the Chiesa Nuova ("New Church") in 1575 to replace an older structure given to him by Pope Gregory XIII. It was eventually paid for by contributions from visiting pilgrims. He is also remembered for reintroducing the tradition of the Pilgrimage of the Seven Churches. Pilgrims can retrace the route of the walk at any time, but it holds particular significance on the Wednesday of Holy Week, as well as during the month of May, and specifically on the Feast of Saint Philip Neri, May 26. Saint Philip Neri and Saint Teresa of Jesus 5th Centenary of Births Scott 1605 (2015) Neri was canonized in 1622. In England Neri’s works are best known through the Birmingham Oratory, founded by Saint John Henry Newman, and later the Brompton Oratory. REFERENCES: David Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Popes Thomas Crimando, Vatican Notes, Volume 44, Number 4, page 8, 1996, New Issues UFN, October 5, 1995, Three Notable Saints UFN, November 19, 2015, 5th Centenary of the Births of Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint Philip Neri Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search