Saint Philip Neri Medal Necklace - Apostle of Rome, Patron of Joy

Saint Philip Neri, Patron Saint of Joy

Philip Neri arrived in Rome in 1534 at 18, with no money and no plan beyond a sense that God wanted him there. He spent thirteen years as a layman, tutoring children, visiting the sick, and praying in the catacombs at night, gathering young men who wanted something more than what the city offered. He wasn't ordained until 36. After ordination, he founded the Congregation of the Oratory in 1575, a community bound by friendship rather than vows, gathering for prayer, music, and charitable work, and its musical services gave rise to an entirely new art form, the oratorio. He is called the Second Apostle of Rome because he converted the city not through argument but through personal relationship and a quality of presence that made people want to be better without being told they had to be. He died in 1595 after a full day of hearing confessions.

A Gift For...

• A boy whose faith is real but who doesn't fit the mold of solemn seriousness
• Anyone who believes a joyful heart and a serious faith aren't opposites
• A priest, deacon, or seminarian, engraved with an ordination date
• Someone connected to Rome, or to the U.S. Army Special Forces, his lesser known patronage
• A confirmation gift for a boy with a full personality and a real faith
• Anyone who needs "A joyful heart is made perfect" close by

A Confirmation Gift for Philip

Not every confirmation saint has to be solemn. Philip Neri is proof a real faith and a full personality were never in conflict. Most people engrave a name and the date.

The Saint Philip Neri Medal

This medal depicts Philip Neri facing forward, bearded, wearing the cassock and collar of a Roman priest, holding an open book in one hand and a spray of white lilies in the other, the lily a traditional symbol of his purity and Marian devotion, the book referencing the Scripture he preached and the culture he cultivated through the Oratory. The composition is dignified without being severe, which suits him. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface.

Personalization and Engraving

The optional engraving on the reverse is rendered in Tangerine cursive. Two lines, up to 20 characters each. Two lines that fit: "A joyful heart" and "is made perfect." For a gift to a priest, deacon, or seminarian, most people engrave a name and ordination date.

Saint Philip Neri's feast day is May 26. He spent 60 years in Rome and made it a better city than he found it, one friendship at a time.