Saint Philip Neri, Confessor
S. Philippi Nerii Confessoris
Saint Philip Neri, the joyful “Apostle of Rome” and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, won countless souls to God by his charity, his cheerfulness, and his burning love of the Holy Spirit.
Saint Philip Neri was born at Florence in 1515. As a young man he came to Rome, where he would spend the rest of his long life, and there he gave himself to prayer, to works of charity, and to the care of souls. So fruitful was his apostolate in the city that he has ever since been called the “Apostle of Rome.”
A heart on fire
Before his ordination Saint Philip lived for some years almost as a hermit in the heart of the city, spending whole nights in prayer in the catacombs and the churches of Rome. It was there, according to the tradition long cherished in his honour, that his heart was so filled with the love of the Holy Spirit that it remained ever after marked by an extraordinary ardour. Ordained a priest in 1551, he drew great numbers of people — rich and poor, learned and simple, young and old — through the confessional, through spiritual conversation, and through a holiness that was always joyful and never severe.
From the gatherings he led for prayer, Scripture, sacred music, and pious discourse grew the Congregation of the Oratory, a community of priests living together without vows, devoted to preaching, the sacraments, and the sanctification of the faithful. Saint Philip was known for his playful humility, his gift of reading hearts, and his insistence that the service of God is wedded to gladness. “A cheerful heart,” he taught, is more easily made perfect than a downcast one.
His witness today
Saint Philip died in Rome in 1595, full of years and of merits. The Church venerates him as a confessor, and the collect of his Mass asks that, rejoicing in his memory, we may profit by the example of his virtues. His feast on the twenty-sixth of May honours the truth that holiness is winsome — that the saints draw souls to Christ not only by penance and zeal but by charity, humility, and a holy joy.
The Collect
O God, who hast exalted blessed Philip, Thy Confessor, with the glory of Thy Saints: mercifully grant that we who rejoice in his commemoration may profit by the example of his virtues.
Deus, qui beátum Philíppum Confessórem tuum Sanctórum tuórum glória sublimásti: concéde propítius; ut, cujus commemoratióne lætámur, ejus virtútum proficiámus exémplo.
Patronage
He is honoured as the Apostle of Rome and the founder of the Oratory, and is invoked as a patron of joy and of those engaged in the care of souls.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar his feast is observed on 26 May as an obligatory memorial.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Philip Neri?
His feast is kept on 26 May in both the 1962 Roman Missal (Third Class) and the modern calendar (memorial).
Who was Saint Philip Neri?
He was a sixteenth-century priest of Florence who spent his life in Rome, where his charity, joy, and zeal for souls earned him the title ‘Apostle of Rome.’ He founded the Congregation of the Oratory and died in 1595.
What is the Oratory that he founded?
The Congregation of the Oratory is a community of priests who live together in a common house, without religious vows, devoted to prayer, preaching, the sacraments, and the spiritual care of the faithful. It grew out of the prayer gatherings Saint Philip led in Rome.
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