Philip Neri, Il santo amabile, the loveable saint, lived in the most important century for the history of the Catholic faith, and even the modern world. Yet he didn’t factor into the great events of that century, albeit he was close to many of the great men active in that age, such as St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Pius V, and many other saints and popes.

Yet, the reform of the Church or the city of Rome, as well as of the Roman Curia would have been unimaginable were it not for the sanctity of Philip Neri and his great apostolate in Rome.

From humble origins, Philip began a life of devotion and prayer, and embodied the expression of St. Paul to Pray without ceasing. Raised to the priesthood, he began the direction of penitents, fearing neither to approach the poor, tradesmen, nobles or cardinals, and to give them great penances to focus their devotion on Jesus Christ. Sometimes reading these penances, one would scratch their head thinking that this is crazy, yet Philip could read souls and had the gift of prophecy, and he knew exactly how to direct his penitents. He gathered great men to himself, such as Cardinal Baronius, who, living with Philip for a number of years, inspired him to found the Congregation of the Oratory, which can still be found today in many countries.

This fantastic book, written by Anne Hope, the author of The Early Martyrs , is page after page of devotion, sacrifice, and love of Jesus Christ. The distinctive feature of the Mediatrix Press edition is that it is a reprint, not a facsimile of this work, newly scanned and carefully edited. Moreover, footnotes have been added to translate the numerous Italian and Latin quotes found in the text that are not in the original, as well as pictures which are not in the original edition. This marvelous biography of one of Rome’s most iconic figures will not only increase the reader’s understanding of Rome in the 16th century, but for prayer and devotion.