Sts. Philip Neri & Teresa of Avila
Samantha Ferrara
Saint Philip Neri
- Referred to as the "Reformer of Rome"
- Helped bring back a spirit of piety to the Eternal City
- Founded the Oratorians - a congregation of secular priests dedicated to the spiritual formation and support of the clergy
- Feast day - May 26
St. Philip's Contributions
- Spent 40 years helping restore Rome as the central city of Catholicism
- Appointed the Venerable Cardinal Baronius to write a response to The Centuries - attempted to discredit the Church hierarchy and attack the authority of the pope
- Baronius published his Annales Ecclesiastici in 12 volumes in response to The Centuries
St. Teresa of Avila
- A young Carmelite nun whose early life was filled with serious illnesses that reduced her health to a pitiful state
- Began the practice of meditation through her sufferings
- Feast day - October 15
St. Teresa's Contributions
- Established the Discalced Carmelites and founded 16 houses for it
- Wrote magnificent treatises on the interior life that have become part of the patrimony of the Church's spirituality - including The Way of Perfection, Foundations, and Life
- Pope Paul VI proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church in 1970 - she is 1 of only 3 female DOC