Neri, Saint Philip

(born July 21, 1515, Florence—died May 26, 1595, Rome; canonized 1622; feast day May 26) Italian priest and one of the outstanding mystics during the Counter-Reformation and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory (now the Institute of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, also called Oratorians), a congregation of secular priests and clerics. He went to Rome c. 1533, where he tutored, studied, and undertook many charitable works. In 1548 he founded a society of laymen dedicated to the care of the poor, convalescents, and pilgrims.

After ordination in 1551 he moved to the ecclesiastical community at San Girolamo della Carità in Rome. There he held religious conferences that became so popular that a large room was built over the church nave to accommodate his audiences. This room was called the Oratory, a name that subsequently referred to those who met there and to the devotional, charitable, and recreational activities that Philip instituted, including musical performances (hence “oratorio”).

Philip was rector of the church of San Giovanni from 1564 to 1575, during which period he ordained his disciples. In 1575 Pope Gregory XIII granted him Sta. Maria in Vallicella, where he established the Institute of the Oratory. A house was built for the priests, and Philip, elected provost of the congregation in 1577, resided there after 1583.

Although Philip helped influence Pope Clement VIII to absolve (1595) King Henry IV of France from excommunication, he had little to do with contemporary political events. Noted for his personal spirituality, he underwent numerous ecstatic religious experiences, and many miracles were attributed to him.

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