Holy Philippe Néri , 1515 - 1594, founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, was a very important figure of the Catholic Réforme undertaken with the Concile of Thirty. Its enjoué character was worth to him the nickname of Saint of the joy .

Its life

Wire of notary, it grows with Florence where it is impassioned for the life of Savonarole. In 1533, it goes in his/her uncle in San Germano where it frequency the Bénédictins of the Mount-Cassin then to Rome where he begins his preaching like laic. It is incorporated with the Sociéte of the Divine Love which is devoted to the patients.

Ordered priest in May 1551, it settles with San Girolamo della Carità where its fame increases.

Merry and full with spirit, enthusiasm and imagination, it humanizes the religion, astonishes its superiors who finish to join with his methods. The Congrégation of the Oratory will essaimera throughout the world.

Its works

Very concerned of the needs for the social classes of its time, it founded initially a convalescent home for the patients, whom it was going to very regularly visit in the hospitals.

It also founded, in company of the Father Persiano Rosa, 1548 Très Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims to help the poor pilgrims.

It had great care also mentally ills, and founded to accommodate them the Institute of Santa Maria della Pietà, first establishment of the kind.

It was very close to the young people, educated them and communicated the faith and the joy to them which animated it. It founded for them several schools, and recommended to them: “ Tenez quiet, if you can! ”.

It founded for them the first organized school and a college for the able poor.

Especially, it founded the Congrégation of the Oratory, which will settle after the recognition by Gregoire XIII, in 1575, in the church of Chiesa Nuova.

It had habit, each year, during the Carnival, to take along inhabitants of Rome to visit the ancient basilicas, lost in the countryside, visits paid in the joy, meditation and in the prayer.

During all its life, he was the friend of humble and the poor, but also of powerful of which he was the spiritual director and the confessor.

Beatification - canonization - patronage

• Philippe Néri was béatifié on May 11th 1615 by the Pope Paul V,
• and was canonized on March 12th 1622 by the Pope Gregoire XV.
• Its festival is fixed at May 26th.

He is the owner:

• of the town of Rome
• of the young people

One calls upon it against rheumatisms and the earthquakes.

Iconography

Saint Philippe Néri is usually represented out of black cassock or chasuble, adoring the Blessed Virgin. Guido Reni represented it in 1619 with a Virgin with the Child (Santa Maria in Vallicella, Rome), like Giambattista Tiepolo (see illustration opposite).

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