St. Philip Neri

Their story

Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, in 1515. As a young man he moved to Rome, where he lived very simply, worked as a tutor, and spent long hours in prayer, often at night in the catacombs where early Christians had been buried. On the eve of Pentecost in 1544, while praying in the catacomb of San Sebastiano, he experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon him like a ball of fire. He felt his heart swell with God’s love, and for the rest of his life he would sometimes tremble with its warmth. Philip became a priest in 1551. He spent hours hearing confessions and gathered people for prayer, Scripture, music and conversation in a room called the Oratory. This became the Congregation of the Oratory, a community of priests that continues today. He led groups on cheerful walking pilgrimages to the great churches of Rome. Philip was famous for his joy and his sense of humor. He played harmless jokes to keep himself and others humble, and he believed a cheerful heart was more easily made perfect than a sad one. He renewed the faith of so many people that he is called the Apostle of Rome. He died in 1595.