May 26th, feast of San Filippo Neri, co-patron saint of Manfredonia
Manfredonia – TODAY I want to talk to you about our co-patron saint of Manfredonia.
Here in our city – we are accustomed to carelessness; of the things that the courses of life have done, I have never seen anyone, and almost no one talks about it in the memory it deserves, it is precisely about San Filippo Neri, born Filippo Romolo Neri.
Born in Florence on 21 July 1515, baptized in the small church of San Pier Grottino, he died in Rome on 26 May.
From a wealthy family, in fact his father worked as a notary, Filippo lost his mother when he was very young. Philip began to frequent the convent of San Marco Evangelista in Florence, under the direction of the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola.
During his studies at the convent, the young Neri became passionate about two texts that would strengthen his subsequent apostolate, these are: the lauds of Jacopone da Todi which he later set to music, he loved the jovial light-heartedness but accompanied by a great awareness for humanity, another work was by a certain Florentine priest, the book was titled “Faceria del Pievano Arlotto, a very sarcastic writing for the time”.
Among his daily motivations is the figure of the autobiography of Saint Camilla da Varano, for his thoughts, Neri considered her a true teacher. In fact, the copy of the work is still preserved today in the Vallicelliana library, with autographed written notes on it.
When he arrived in Rome, he lived like a hermit, among the streets of the city… sleeping under the porticoes of churches. Philip is considered without a shadow of a doubt “the Saint of joy” or if you want even in the seraphic sense: God’s jester.
In those years in which Neri lived in Rome, there was another saint in the Roman area: his name was “Felice da Cantalice”, a Capuchin friar, with a good character, but always accompanied by his great sarcasm.
After great and innumerable inhuman efforts, Filippo together with “Persico Rosa” managed to set up a structure of enormous hope, this was an “Oratorio”, his always dream.
This oratory brought together all the abandoned and maladjusted children without any home, they lived in the shadow of a rotten life, on the border of the ultimate marginalization. Neri loved spending hours observing the Romans walking from the terrace of his room. Before his death, he was visited by his dear friend of years ago San Carlo Borromeo.
A few days later due to heavy bleeding, he died with his gaze upwards, and a healthy smile on his mouth, as if he were alive. The seagulls of our Manfredon sky, today give him tantrums with their festive flights – for having expressed his name – from the water to the air just like a diver.
“Statue of San Filippo Neri. In the cathedral of Manfredonia where his relics are preserved: the ‘cap’ and a part of the heart” – photo of the procession that loved the town.
by Claudio Castriotta
