By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
Photographer: Munoz Studio Inc.
Students of St. Jerome School, Fort Lauderdale, celebrate the 500th anniversary of St. Philip Neri's birth. Standing next to Father Curtis Kiddy, at the left, is Mayor Jack Seiler of Fort Lauderdale.
The 16th century saint was called the "Apostle of Rome" for teaching poor and abandoned youth of that city and helping them find a better life, said Sister Vivian Gomez, director of development at St. Jerome.
"St. Philip Neri was widely known for his great love, deep prayer life and a tremendous sense of humor," said Sister Vivian, a member of the Sisters of St. Philip Neri and former principal of St. Jerome School.
Starting the 500th anniversary celebrations on May 26 was an oratory, a traditional form of prayer that St. Philip Neri used to bring families together and to build community among them.
The church and school also dedicated this year's Family Fall Festival to the saint. On Nov. 19, Mayor Jack Siler of Fort Lauderdale opened the festivities, along with Father Curtis Kiddy, pastor of St. Jerome, plus the Sisters of St. Philip Neri, teachers, students and community members.
St. Jerome School, too, celebrated St. Philip's life in several ways.
The school sponsored a showing of "I Prefer Heaven," a feature film on his life. And its eighth grade students have been writing compositions on his life. Whoever's composition is judged best will receive an award at graduation.
And in November, the school learned that a graduate of St. Jerome, Dr. Richard Childs, has been promoted to the rank of admiral. Childs was asked last December by the U.S. surgeon general to lead 65 doctors to combat the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. Their efforts helped wipe out the plague in that nation.
Although the link between the 16th century St. Philip Neri and the fourth century St. Jerome may not be obvious, they did connect in Rome, Sister Vivian said. When St. Philip was ordained in 1551, his bishop in Rome ordered him to go to St. Girolamo della Carita, the same house where Jerome lived 12 centuries before.
"At that point in history, the two spiritualities merged," she said
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