St. Philip Benizi
| Saint Philip Benizi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Confessor | |
| Born |
August 15, 1233 Oltrarno, city-state of Florence, Tuscany, (modern-day Italy) |
| Died | August 22, 1285 (aged 52) Todi, Province of Perugia, Umbria, Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | October 8, 1645, Rome by Pope Innocent X |
| Canonized | April 12, 1671, Rome by Pope Clement X |
| Major shrine | Church of the Servites of Mary in Todi, Umbria, Italy |
| Feast | August 23 |
| Attributes | Habit of the Servite Order |
| Patronage | The Minor Basilica in Monte Senario (Fiesole) in the Diocese of Florence, Tuscany, Italy; Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines |
Philip Benizi de Damiani (sometimes St Philip Benitius, and in Italian Filippo Benizzi) (August 15, 1233 – August 22, 1285) was a general superior of the Order of the Servites, and credited with reviving the order. Pope Leo X had beatified him in 1516; and Pope Clement X canonized him as a saint in 1671.
Philip Benizi was born on August 15 in the Florentine district of Oltrarno, the day the Blessed Virgin first appreared to the Seven Founders. He became the great propagator of the Order of the Servants of Mary (the Servites). When he was elected the general superior on June 5, 1267, the order, which had long been the object of attack from enemies, entered into the crisis of its existence. The Second Council of Lyons in 1274 put into execution the ordinance of the Fourth Lateran Council, forbidding the foundation of new religious orders, and absolutely suppressing all mendicant institutions not yet approved by the Holy See. In 1276 Pope Innocent V, in a letter addressed to Philip, declared the order suppressed. Philip then proceeded to Rome, but before his arrival there, Innocent V had died.
The city of Forlì was part of the Papal States and, in 1283, the site of strong anti-papal sentiment was placed under interdict. Pope Martin V asked Philip to go to Forlì and try to reconcile the divided city. Eighteen-year-old Peregrine Laziosi (Latiosi), the son of a Ghibelline leader, was among those abusive towards Philip. However Philip's meeting with the initially antagonistic Peregrine help the young man later decide to join the Servite order. Saint Peregrine was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726.
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