Saint Philip Neri, the crazy saint who transformed the Church

Walking from the Tiber River towards Vittorio Emanuele II Street stands one of the best-known churches in Rome, Santa Maria in Vallicella (New Church).

It is here where the incorrupt body of San Felipe Neri is found, the saint that the Catholic Church celebrates every May 26.

Changed the face of Rome

Who would have told Saint Philip Neri when at the age of 18 he arrived from Florence to the Italian capital seeking God that in history he would be known as the “Apostle of Rome.”

“Saint Philip Neri changed the face of the eternal city. After his death, Rome was no longer the same,” said Father Simone Raponi, from the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Rome, in conversation with ACI Prensa.

The priest highlighted that Saint Philip was able to go in search of people “from all places” touring streets, squares and all types of homes to show the true meaning of life.

On several occasions he argued that “whoever does good in Rome, does it all over the world“. Saint Philip Neri was able to transform the capital of Christianity, consequently transforming the entire world.

In statements to ACI Prensa, the priest explained that the Chiesa Nuova became the headquarters of the Congregation that the saint founded and that this place was “the heart of his apostolate.”

Currently Numerous people come from all corners of the world to visit the saint’s tomb.“which still today continues to work miracles on a spiritual and conversion level, also in priests who want to live their ministry in spiritual freedom.”

Although the Congregation of the Oratory of San Felipe Neri was born exactly in a simple room near the church of San Girolamo della Caritá in Rome, where Felipe Neri lived for more than 30 years.

In this small room, religious, future Cardinals, merchants and the poor gathered. But soon that room was not enough for the growing number of followers of Saint Philip, and finally the Oratory found its final home in the Chiesa Nuova.

Spread the word of God with familiar language

Felipe Neri carried out his apostolate within the framework of the Council of Trent, in “a time of great tensions due to the problems that arose from the Protestant Reformation.”

“A time of great reforms and attempts by the Church to transform and adapt the message of the Gospel to new times and a period of great saints, such as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Camillus of Lelis or Saint Teresa of Ávila,” explained the priest.

Saint Philip was a great reformer without hardly talking about reform: “He did not have an established program, he did not write anything on a technical level to change the ecclesiastical structure, only with his behavior and his new way of evangelizing did he become a great reformer.”

“Whoever wants to be blessed, must command little”

“He carried out a real and transversal apostolate, close to the people to bring the Lord in a new and original way, in a more familiar way.”

“He always said that spiritual life is not for a few, but for all people of every category and every state of life, such as the elderly, the poor or merchants,” explained the priest, who recalled that Saint Philip used to indicate that “whoever wants be blessed, he must command little.

Furthermore, Saint Philip sought to return “to the roots of the Church”, since he assured that it was necessary to “study ecclesiastical history”, and this concept was born in the Congregation of the Oratory, where they sought to return to the primitive Church and imitate the community of the 12 Apostles.

A different saint with a big heart

Father Simone pointed out that Felipe Neri tried in some way to “hide” his holiness to maintain his humility. For this reason he tried on many occasions to appear even “like a madman.”

“He didn’t like it when people went to Mass to witness his mystical phenomena. That’s why he ended up celebrating Masses privately,” he said.

San Felipe Neri he levitated, had visions, the gift of bilocation and even during his autopsy it was discovered that the size of his heart was larger than normal.

Father Simone explained to ACI Prensa that in 1544 the saint experienced a very particular phenomenon, “when the Holy Spirit entered into his heart, not only spiritually, but also physically, that is why his heart dilated, which “which caused two of his ribs to break.”

This fact became known at the end of his life, when Felipe told the doctor and a few other people. “To calm the people, convert them and make them feel the presence of God’s love also physically, she hugged them and supported them on her chest, in order to transmit the presence of the Spirit.”

In fact, he always defended that the Word of God must reach the heart, without philosophical or theological arguments, but rather an encounter with people in ordinary life is needed, “a heart that speaks to the heart.”

¡Paradise, paradise!

“He knew that everything passes, that life, beauty, wealth, everything passes. Given this, instead of falling into despair and thinking that this life has no meaning, he defended that the only thing that matters is Jesus, and therefore We can laugh at everyone else, even at ourselves,” the priest explained.

“The joy of the saint was the certainty that only God remains. In fact, he always refused to wear the cardinal’s cape, and he threw it into the air while shouting: Paradise, paradise!”.

“Sometimes, in places of certain importance where they expected to meet a perfect and austere saint, He appeared with one side of his beard shaved and the other unshaven.. In the face of a world linked to appearance, he knew that only the Lord mattered, that only God should be the lighthouse of our life and he showed it through his acts of great freedom and original form.

“Saint Philip is a great inspiration. A man who taught us that paradise should be the only important thing for man, and he proved it to the end,” concluded Father Simone.