Philip was the son of a lawyer from Florence, Italy. When he was 18 years old, he felt strongly called to deepen his faith and moved to Rome, where he studied theology. He prayed a lot and led an ascetic life. Working for the poor and outcast of Roman society, including prostitutes and beggars, he realised the importance of bringing the gospel to everyone. The ‘Apostle of Rome’ as he was called, travelled through the city of Rome on home missions, speaking to people wherever he met them and helping them to discover the importance of the faith for themselves. Among other things, he introduced the devotion of taking turns in praying forty hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament exposed. Philip was ordained a priest at the age of 36, which is rather late for the time. For a moment he thought of volunteering for the missions in India, inspired by Francis Xavier, but his companions showed him how much work there was to be done in Rome. Together they set up the ‘Oratory’, named after the prayer room where they met for lectures and discussion on religious questions. Their mission developed quickly. They met in a different church every evening. Philip preached and heard confessions, while disciples like the famous composer Palestrina took care of the music. Trying to counter immoral scenes at carnival, Philip organised pilgrimages on foot, praying in seven Roman churches on one day. Even today the Seven Churches Walk is popular among pilgrims and seminarians. In 1575 Philip officially founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a community of secular priests and brothers. This idea was followed quickly in other places, where independent oratories were set up. #SaintPhilipNeri #PhilipNeri #catholicsaints #onlinewithsaints
