The Christophers: A Saint’s Simple Spirituality

Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M.

The Christophers’ Board of Directors

Saint Philip Neri said, “Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength.” These words remind us that God truly does have a purpose for each of us. Our job is to trust Him and to offer ourselves in service with our whole heart, mind, and soul. When we do that, we will be led along the unexpected yet glorious path that God has in store for us.

May 26 is the Feast of Saint Philip Neri, whose life demonstrates this reality that God will call upon us and equip us to do His will when we thrust ourselves into His caring arms. Born in Florence in 1515, Philip grew up in a wealthy family and was provided a good education under the tutelage of Dominicans. When he was 18, he was sent to learn the business of his uncle, a successful merchant. But it was during this time that Philip had a conversion of heart in which he felt called to renounce the things of this world to serve God.

In that same year, Philip went to Rome, where he found his calling to serve the city’s poor and marginalized. Though he continued his education under the Augustinians, Philip pursued missionary work in Rome for seventeen years before deciding he wanted to become a priest. Before he was even ordained, Philip founded the Confraternity of the Holy Trinity to minister to the destitute discharged from city hospitals and the poor who flocked to Rome in jubilee years. After being ordained in 1551, Philip founded the Congregation of the Oratory to bring people together in prayer and song. Today, the congregation is known as the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri and follows Philip’s example of demanding no formal vows to the order except for the bond of charity. With 500 priests serving in various capacities around the world and a focus on living out a simple spirituality, its members strive to see God’s hand at work in the things of everyday life.

An important figure of the Counter-Reformation, Philip influenced laypeople and Cardinals alike to practice a devotional faith free from artifice, and he encouraged all Christians to recover the spirit of simplicity and awe that marked the first followers of Christ. Philip was known to have a great sense of humor that was rooted in an attitude of humility towards our fallen human condition. “If we wish to keep peace with our neighbor,” he said, “we should never remind anyone of his natural defects.”

This forgiving approach enabled him to broker peace under trying circumstances, such as the time he convinced Pope Clement VIII to revoke an excommunication and anathema pronounced against King Henry IV of France to stave off a schism and avoid civil war in France.

Called the “Apostle of Rome” for his care for the people and devotion to Christ, Philip died in 1595 at the age of 79. His holiness was so universally acknowledged that he was canonized in 1622, just 27 years after his death.

From the time of his decision to follow God completely, Philip’s path was marked by grace, and he was equipped at every turn to accomplish good in the world. His wisdom reveals an awareness of this reality and points the way for us all to trust God to show us the way and give us the tools to do His will.

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For free copies of the Christopher News Note ANSWERING GOD’S CALL, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org