The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-09-13
A STORY OF ST. PHILIP NERl.
The Building of the First Church for
the Congregation of the oratOry.


of how this church was built is
beautiful Illustration of ST. Philips
unfaltering trust in God. The follow
ing account is taken from the life of
the saint by Archbishop Capecelatro,
himself member of the Oratory.
When Philip had obtained posses
sion of the Church of S. Maria in
Vallicella, he sent two of his fathers
to live there as representatives of the
Congregation. They were charged
with the divine office, with the care
of the parish, and also with the re-
pairs needed in the house and church,
both of which were in very dilapi-
dated state. And then the fathers be-
gan to take counsel on the steps to
be taken in order to provide for the
whole Congregation in Vallicella
Their first thought was, of course,
the church; some thought it most
prudent to repair it, and others
new and spacious one in it's stead.
They had no money, and Philip
seemed at first as if he did not know
what to do; but without yielding to
Encouragement, he turned to God and
prayed earnestly for light, that all
might be decided and done according
to His good pleasure. And one morn
ing he went unexpectedly to S. Maria
in Vallicella, and gave orders without
a moments hesitation that the church
should be at once taken down and a
new one begun; the architect was to
be Matteo da CASTILLO, one of the most
celebrated men of his day. Where
the money was to come from Philip
did not say; and so great was the
confidence the fathers had in his
prudence as well as his sanctity that
no one ventured to ask him. In
very short time the little church was
taken down and the ground cleared
and Matteo da CASTILLO was proceed
ing to trace out the foundations of the
new church. Philip was at that mo-
ment going out of the sacristy at
Girolamo to say Mass, and he sent
a messenger to tell Matteo not to
draw the line which was to mark the
length of the church until he came,
for that he wished it to be done in
his presence. When he had said
Mass Philip went to the Vallicella;
and then Matteo proceeded to mark
out the length of the church with a
line. When he had reached what he
thought sufficient length he stopped
but Philip said: Draw it further"
The architect did as Philip babe him,
and then stopped again; and still the
saint said: Draw it further" Again
Marcello did as he was hidden, and
a third time the saint cried out:
Draw it further still" When Mar
cello had drawn it somewhat further
Philip said Nov, stop there and
dig" And as they were digging they
came down Unexpectedly upon an
ancient wall more than seven feet
thick, and longer than the present
church. AS may be supposed they
were all greatly delighted, and saw in
this discovery an omen of good, a
manifest token of the blessing of God
on their work. On this buried wall
they built the whole wall of the
church on the gospel side, and they
found besides quantity of solid ma
terial enough for the greater part of
the foundation and much of the walls
of the church. This wall was, more
over, so solid that the part of the
church built upon it has not suffered
at all, while the other side which was
built on new foundation has suffered
considerably. The building of the
new church was begun on the 18th of
September, 1875, few months after
the foundation of the Congregation,
and, in the year of the Jubilee. The
first stone was laid with all due
solemnity by Alessandro del Medici,
at that time Archbishop of Florence,
and afterwards Pope under the title of
Leo XI.
The building of the church and
house of the Vallicella went on with a
rapidity which is scarcely credible
when we remember Philips poverty,
and the principle he had laid down
for himself and for his Congregation,
never, as he expressed it, to touch
other peoples purses. He knew the
WOrK was NTOu y WORK. anu Cu0IO1OIS
he cast himself with unhesitating con.
fidence on the Providence of God; and
although he was often in great straits
he never yielded to encouragement
And so it came to pass that Philips
mistaken trust in God, the venera
ton in which he was held as saint
and the great good that had beer
done by the Oratory of S. Giovanni
opened the hearts of all, and money
was so freely offered for the build
ing of the church, that in less thai
two years the fathers were able t.
take possession of it. The first offer
ing towards the new building wa
made by S. Charles Borromeo VIII
gave two hundred crowns, or abou
forty guineas. Soon after this Pop,
Gregory VIII sent Philip eight thou
sand crowns, and Pietro Donate, Cal
dinal Cesi, bequeathed him anothe
eight thousand.
The interest taken by the Roman
in the new church was so general am
so great that there was hardly pei
son in Rome who did not eagerl,
make some offering to Philip for Il
The poor We'd in eagerness with tn
rich, and their offerings were in pre-
portion to their means, far NOR
abundant. Every one gave in the spiri