Summary

St. Philip Romolo Neri (July 22, 1515 – May 25, 1595), also known as Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest, noted for founding a society of secular priests called the "Congregation of the Oratory". He attributes the Oratory to the Virgin Mary who appeared to him when he was sick at the end of his life.

July 22, 1515

St. Philip Romolo Neri was born in Florence, the youngest child of Francesco, a lawyer, and his wife Lucrezia da Mosciano, whose family were nobility in the service of the stat

He received his early teaching from the friars at San Marco, the famous Dominican monastery in Florence. He was accustomed in later life to ascribe most of his progress to the teaching of two amongst them, Zenobio de' Medici and Servanzio Mini.

1532

Philip was sent to his father's childless brother, Romolo, a wealthy merchant at San Germano, a Neapolitan town near the base of Monte Cassino, to assist him in his business, and with the hope that he might inherit his uncle's fortune. He did gain Romolo's confidence and affection, but soon after coming to San Germano Philip had a conversion.

1532

Philip relocates to Rome. After arriving in Rome, he became a tutor in the house of a Florentine aristocrat named Galeotto Caccia.

1534

He began to pursue his own studies (for a period of three years) under the guidance of the Augustinians.

Following this, he began those labours amongst the sick and poor which gained him in later life the title of "Apostle of Rome", and also ministering to the prostitutes of the city.

1538

He began the home mission work for which he became famous; he traveled throughout the city, seeking opportunities of entering into conversation with people, and of leading them on to consider the topics he desired to set before them.

1548

He founded (with his confessor, Fr Persiano Rossa) the confraternity of the Santissima Trinita de' Pellegrini e de' Convalescenti, whose primary object was to minister to the needs of the thousands of poor pilgrims who flock to Rome, especially in years of jubilee, and also to relieve the patients discharged from hospitals but who were still too weak for labour.

May 23, 1551

He passed through all the minor orders, and was ordained deacon, and finally priest.

1556

Accordingly he settled down, with some companions, at the hospital of San Girolamo della Carità, and began the Oratory which at first was no more than a series of evening meetings in a hall (the Oratory), at which there were prayers, hymns, readings from Scripture, from the church fathers, and from the Martyrology, followed by a lecture, or by discussion of some religious question proposed for consideration.

1564

The Florentines requested that he leave San Girolamo, and to oversee their church in Rome, San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, then newly built. He was at first reluctant, but by consent of Pope Pius IV he accepted, while retaining the charge of San Girolamo, where the exercises of the Oratory were kept up.

July 15, 1575

Under permission of a papal bull, a community of secular priests, called the Congregation of the Oratory.

1577

The new church was consecrated early in 1577, and the clergy of the new society at once resigned the charge of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini;

1583

Neri himself left San Girolamo until by virtue of an injunction of the pope that he, as the superior, should reside at the chief house of his congregation.

1587

He was at first elected for a term of three years (as is usual in modern societies), but was nominated superior for life. He was, however, entirely free from personal ambition, and had no desire to be general over a number of dependent houses, so that he desired that all congregations formed on his model outside Rome should be autonomous, governing themselves, and without endeavouring to retain control over any new colonies they might themselves send out--a regulation afterwards formally confirmed by a brief of Gregory XV in 1622.

1594

Our Lady appears to St. Philip.

May 25, 1595

Philip died around the end of the day on Corpus Christi that year, after having spent the day hearing confessions and receiving visitors. About midnight he began hemorrhaging, and Baronius read the commendatory prayers over him. Baronius asked that he would bless his spiritual sons before dying, and though he could no longer speak, he blessed them with the sign of the cross and died.

1615

St Philip Neri was beatified by Paul V.

1622

He was canonized by Gregory XV