About the book: Philip Neri (1515-1595) is one of the most lovable and popular of saints, a 'St Francis of modern times'. Christian humanist, practical joker and one of the Church's great contemplatives, he had such an impact on the degenerate Rome of his day that he quickly became a leading figure in the recovery of Catholic spirituality and culture that we associate with the Counter Reformation (and indeed, was canonised on the same day as Teresa of Ávila, Ignatius Loyola and Francis Xavier).
In the midst of the Roman Renaissance, St Philip was able to prove by his own example and in the lives of those who followed him that Christianity is the way to true and lasting happiness. His burning love for Christ found visible and tangible expression in the many visions and miracles recorded by those around him. Every evening, he gathered his disciples to read and discuss the New Testament and then to pray together silently for half an hour. His aim, as he himself said, was to make people 'saints in their own homes'. He has been described as 'the Christian Socrates' for his gentle friendship with the young, and as 'the Apostle of Rome' for his success in drawing multitudes of people from all strata of society to a living practice of their faith.
The congregation founded by St Philip is known as the Oratory, and its communities have grown up in towns all around the world. Inspired as it was by the life of the primitive Christianity, the Oratory was chosen by John Henry Newman and Frederick Faber as the most appropriate vehicle for the evangelisation of England. Newman once said: 'Whether or not I can do anything at all in St Philip's way, at least I can do nothing in any other.' He saw in the Oratory his best way of helping to bring (through personal influence, 'heart to heart') the sacramental and evangelical concerns of the Oxford movement to their final fruition in a Second Spring for the Catholic faith in its own land.
Philip Neri: The Fire Of Joy (1986, reprinted with corrections, 2010) was the only major biography of Philip to appear in his 400th anniversary year of 1995. The beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman, Philip's 19th century disciple and founder of the Oratory in Birmingham, brings new attention to St Philip and inspires this reprinting of a work that draws on the most recent scholarship to paint a vivid, brilliant portrait of one of the most attractive and inspiring figures of Christianity.
Philip Neri: The Fire Of Joy is translated from the Spanish by Daniel Utrecht of the Oratory.
Information on Oratories throughout the world can be found at the website of the Procurator General of the Oratory: https://www.oratoriosanfilippo.org/
About St Philip Neri: St Philip, born at Florence in the sixteenth century, left everything to serve the divine Master and founded the Congregation of the Oratory. The Holy Ghost had inflamed him with such love for God that the palpitations of his heart bent two of his ribs. He would spend whole nights in the contemplation of heavenly things and the Spirit of Truth "taught him true wisdom". His conversations with Jesus filled him with such intense joy that he exclaimed: "Enough, Lord, enough!" He loved young men: "Amuse yourselves," he said to them, "but do not offend God." He died in 1595 on the feast of Corpus Christi.
About the author: Paul Türks (1920-1998) was one of the founders of the Aachen Oratory. For two six-year terms, he served as Delegate of the Holy See for the Oratory, a position which entailed making visitations to all the Oratories of the world, and gave him a unique understanding of how St Philip's way of life can be translated into many different contexts.
About the translator: Father Daniel Utrecht is a priest of the Oratory of St Philip Neri, Toronto. He is a graduate of the University of Dallas (BA Philosophy), and the University of Toronto (PhD Philosophy). He joined the Oratory in 1980 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1985. Father teaches in St Philip's Seminary, directed by the Fathers of the Oratory, and is Pastor of St Vincent de Paul Church in Toronto. Previous publications include a translation of a biography of St Philip Neri, Philip Neri: The Fire of Joy by Paul Türks.
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