CHAPTER IL

g. PHILIP NERI AND CARDINAL DE BÉRULLE.

IT was with a view to remedy the existing state of things among the dergy which is illustrated by de Condren's unsatisfactoiy visit to the Bishop of Soissons, that the Oratory had been founded in France by Père de Bérolle. But he was not the first founder of the Congr^ation. An ignorant, degenerate, too often demoralised clergy, and the abuses which as an inévitable resuit penetrated ail sections of the Church, ecclesiastical and lay, led to the Refonnation, which in its tum lowered the standard of sacerdotal dignity and révérence in many quarters. Wars of religion, luxurious courts, apostate priests — thèse and many another blot defiled the Bride of Christ, and as usual, the reaction stirred up the hearts of those who were " faithful unto death," and urged them on in their several ways to do whatever in them lay to counteract the overwhelming floods of misbelief and laxity, and to maintain a body of pure-minded Catholics, ready to give themselves even to death for Christ's Sake. Of such were Ignatius Loyola, S. Teresa, S. Vincent de Paul,

S. Francis de Sales, and S. Philip Neri, the first founder of the Oratorians.

There is something peculiarly attractive in the character of " sweet Father Philip," as it reaches us. He was a Florentine of noble family, bom in 1515 ; and even in his bojrish days, when he delighted to relieve the monotony of school hours by visiting the celebrated Convent of San Marco in Florence, drinking in holy thoughts and visions £rom Fra Angelico's marvellous frescoeSjhe was familiarly known as "il buon Pippo" — so pure and eamest were his ways. Sent when eighteen to Naples, in order that he might become partner and heir to a wealthy merchant unde, Philip gave the world a fair trial for two years, and then, with the same bright cheerfiilness which marked ail his actions, he severed himself ôrom ail his brilUant earthly prospects, and travelled on foot to Rome, begging his bread as he went, " for the love of holy poverty." The ascetic and devout life which he led there, feeding on vegetables and fruit, studying theology with ardour, and yet praying even more than he

' Throughout his long life, S. Philip Neri practised an abstinence which he would not permit his spiritual children to imitate. He used to say with a sniile, that he was " afraid of growing £sit 1 '' but to the other Oratorians he enjoined eating what was set before them, sometimes saying that it was better to take a little more rather than a little less, as those who mined their health by prolongea iosnfficient nourishment conld lery rarely make np the lost gronnd."— Vie de S. P. Neri, Abbé Bayle, p. 2a6.

.s: PHILIP NERI AND DE BÊRULLB. 33

studied, was not with a view to préparation for H0I7 Orders — ^for that Philip held himself ail unworthy — he only aimed at offering his own body and soûl in daily sacrifice to God, and forwarding the purification and sanctification of the world so fiur as the pure and boly life of each separate individual, lay or ecdesiastic, must do. After a time, finding that his best school Tvas devout méditation and communing with God, he sold his libraiy, ail save the Bible and Summa of S. l'homasy and gave the proceeds to the poor. It was at this time that his heart was said to bave been so dilated by love of God and man as to bave materially altered his physical conformation. ^' He was so carried out of himself by the Love of God, his zeal was so mighty and so vast, that the world itself was too small to fill his heart» while that heart itself was too narrow to contain the immensity of his love.** So writes the Eagle of Meaux of S. Philip NerL*

Such a man surely had a spécial work to do in the Church, and in humility yielding to the call of God and the advice of his spiritual superiors, Philip was ordained Priest in 1551, when aged thirty-six»

Already a few priests in Rome had joined together

in a sort of Confiratemity» the object of which was

mutual édification and support Philip Neri soon

became one of them, and nnder guidance he devoted

Oraison Funèbre P. Bourgoing. Bossuet, Œuvres, zii 649.

himself chiefly to the confessional, where neaily ail

his daySy and not unfrequently a laige part of his

nights toOy were spent '^I do not wish to call any hour

my own, or even any moment,'' he was wont to say.

His spécial gift was in dealing with young men. The

natural freshness and beauty of bis own mind both

attracted him to the young and exercised a singular

£siscination over them; the playfîil mirth and poetic

grâce which bubbled up in his pure and loving heart

was such a contrast to the carewom earthly absorption

or meretricious worldly gaiety of most men, that they

hung around him spell-bound. The grass plot on

Monte Janiculo, near to San Onofrio, where S. Phflip

Neri used to resort with his goodly company of young

companions, and where he promoted their games,

shared their confidences and wild imaginations, and

led them on to the Love of God with thewiles of true

human love, may still be seen— or might — ^in the Rome

we hâve ail known and loved ; that Rome of which

one of S. Philip's worthiest descendants, Henri Per-

reyve, says, ''It is really a dreadful thing to hâve liyed

two years nmning in Romel Henceforward eveiy

day brings back anniversaries which plunge one's heart

into whole océans of longings and regrets I " >

> Lettres, 2nd edit p. 269. <*Voiis êtes donc à Rome? C'est terrible, savez-vous, que d'habiter deux années de suite à Rome ! Chaque jour ensuite ramène ces anniversaires qui jettent Tâme dans des océans de regrets et de désirs J ''

s. PHILIP NERI AND DE BÊRULLB. 35

Thèse outpourings of intimacy and fellowship were not alL The young men who thus gathered round Philip Neri for the pleasure of his society, also gathered round him for instruction, and he was soon obliged to seek a spadous hall to receive ail who sought to profit by his teaching. This was informaL They read aloud, they discussed difficulties, they prepared little orations — Baronius, the cdebrated historian, brought his historical leaming to bear upon the subject in hand, — they sang hymns and motets, composed and led by Palestrina, who was one of Philip's disciples ; and from thèse gatherings, and the musical performances he encouraged at them, we dérive our name "Oratorio" for the sacred musical dramas, which are now once more beginning to be used as S. Philip Neri used them, not merely for the délectation of musical taste and criticism, but as an expression of, and stimulus to, dévotion and fervour. Such was the beginning of the Oratory, and the few priests who first lived tQgether at San Geronimo were its first members. It is amusing to read of leamed men going to consult the already famous Baronius, and finding him washing the dishes or preparing the homely meals of the little Congrégation* — ^for into a Congrégation the rapidly

' Baronius wrote playfuUy over the chimney of the kitchen where he displayed his culinaiy powers, "César Baronius, coqmis perpetaus ; " bnt in mercy to the digestion of his brother Oiatorians it is a comfort to know that his office was not perpétuai t

36 PRIESTL Y LTFE m FRANCK.

increairiiig band developed; and in 1575 Pope Gr^oiy XIII. gave them canonical aathorisation as sadi» and assigned them Santa-Maria-in-Vallicelliy as tiieir churcfa* They were then upwaids of 130 in number. The spirit of their Congr^ation was liberty, mutual help, zeal for soûls. They had few ndes — they lived and prayed together, they sought to support and edify one another by good example, to give strength to isolated exertions by companionship and sympathy. They set a perfect fulfilment of the priestly life and office before them as their aim and object, and while neglecting none of the bodily or spiritual necessities to which it behoves Christ's servants to minister, they specially devoted themselves to the spiritual welfare of men and boys — seeking to win the young from the snares of sinful pleasure by teaching them the charms of holiness and charity, by making religion lovely and winning in every possible way, by usîng the gifts God gives to man — music, painting, beauty in art and nature of every kind, to draw soûls to the Source of ail Beauty. Such was the aim of S. Philip and bis Congrégation of Oratorians :

** Omnia vestra in cantate fiant"

It was not intended as a new Religions Order. SL Philip Neri believed that there were already sufficient Orders 'n existence, and he continually repeated his

s. PHIUP NERI AND DE BÊRULLB. 37

imh that his Congr^ation sbould be sectilar priests, ûree from vows and spécial obligations. ^'His object," writes one of his descendants, " was, above ail, to form a congr^ation in which, amid a licentious coiTupt world, men might follow the path which leads to a blessed £temity, but without leading an austère life, without severe bodily mortifications, without wholly severing tfaemselves from earthly ties ; rather foUowing a moderate line, adopting pious habits, and using earthly things well and wisely. Any one who studies this object as the he3mote to the whole will see that it is of the very essence of our Congrégation to maintain a happy médium among extrêmes. Its chief merit is its modération." ' When certain members of the new Congrégation wished to introduce vows, S. Philip, though strongly against any such introduction, referred the question to the Pope, who emphatically dedded against them. Not that this implied any excessive liberty. There were certain simple rules which were voluntarily accepted by the members of the Congrégation, and thenceforth steadily and conscientiously kept Such involved the obligation alwa3rs to seek personal sanctification and the édification of others by diligent exercise of the Christian grâces — obédience, humility, poverty, simplidty, and diarity. Liberty and obédience to rule were ' Abbé Bayle» Vie, p. i8&

PRIESTLY LIFE 2N FRANCE.

dosdy and inseparably bound up together, so tfaat when S. Carlo Borromeo visited the Oratoiy he inquired admiringly of the Founder how he obtained such obédience as he — ^the Cardinal Archbishop—never had been able to win from his priests? *' I impose but few commands," was the answer; *'a Superior^s example does more than any words aud rules. The best way of ruling anybody subject to one is to do oneself that which one requires of them." He objected to a community of goods in his Congrégation, and when certain members thereof brought him a mémorial asking to establish it among the Fathers, S. Philip wrote in the maigin, "Habeant, possideant"'

While inculcating simplidty and frugality, he was also strict as to neatness and personal deanliness, often quoting S. Bernard, who said that he had "always loved poverty, but dirt never !"

The Superior was to be elected eveiy three years, but, by common consent, the Congrégation elected their Founder as Superior for life, and he fiilfilled the office tiU two years before his death, when, by reason of his advanced âge, he induced his spiritual sons to elect César Baronius in his stead. The cdebrated author of the Annales has written at length upon the objects of his Congrégation, and the sunmiaiy of thesci as gathered together by a distinguished living