St Phillip Neri

As a child Phillip was called “Good little Phil” because he was always happy and friendly to everyone – everybody loved Phillip. When he got older he went to study in Rome with the Dominican priests. He was a good student and a very good Christian. He did everything he could to bring people closer to Jesus. When he turned 36 years old he felt like God was calling him to become a priest. As a priest Fr. Phillip really helped everyone around him. He would listen to confessions for hours a day and no matter how many people lined up to come and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he was always patient, kind and gentle with everyone. At one point he thought maybe he should go to a far off land to be a missionary; but a wise monk told him that Rome was his mission field and he really did so much to bring the people of Rome closer to God. A few years before he died he started working with young people, finding them safe places to play and becoming their friend, so that he could lead them to God.