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 Saint Philip Neri Scott 995 (1995) The feast day of Saint Philip Neri is celebrated on May 26, the anniversary of his death in 1595. The founder of the Congregation of the Oratory (Oratorians) and dubbed "The Third Apostle of Rome" (following Saints Peter and Paul), his enduring impact in the Church lives on to this day. The stamp above was issued as part of a three-stamp set referred to as the "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 his (along with that of Saint Teresa of Avila), which is shown at the bottom of the page. Philip Neri was born in 1515 in Florence into a noble family. His upbringing included schooling by the Dominican friars of San Marco at their monastery in Florence. At the age of 18 he was sent to San Germano (now Cassino, outside Naples) to work with his uncle, a wealthy merchant, where it was hoped that Philip would eventually take over the family business and inherit his uncle's fortune. However, during his stay, he also experienced a religious conversion and turned away from "things of this world". He left San Germano and headed to Rome in 1534, where he lived in extreme poverty in an attic, living as a hermit for two years. 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. In 1551, Neri was ordained a priest and formed a community which focused on confession and spiritual direction. He was known to fall into ecstasy while 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 In 1575, he built the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Vallicella (or "Chiesa Nuova", the "New Church") 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 on May 26. Saint Philip Neri died in Rome in 1595 at the age of 79. He is venerated by both the Catholic Church and the Church of England. He was beatified on May 11, 1615 by Pope Paul V, and canonized on March 12, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. In England, Neri’s works are best known through the Birmingham Oratory, founded by Saint John Henry Newman, and later the Brompton Oratory.  Saint Philip Neri and Saint Teresa of Jesus 5th Centenary of Births Scott 1605 (2015) REFERENCES: |
