Hands and Hearts · Week 3 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Philip Neri
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
A city that needed friends
Philip Neri was born in Florence in blank 1. As a young man he was sent to work for a relative who was a merchant. He could have had a comfortable career in business.
Instead, at about blank 2, he went to Rome with almost nothing. He tutored two boys in exchange for a small room, studied, and prayed for hours.
Rome was a troubled city. It had been attacked and looted in blank 3, and many people, including some clergy, were careless about their faith.
Philip chose a simple method. He went to streets, shops and hospitals, started friendly blank 4, and invited people to do good with him.
Philip’s life
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1515 | Write your answer |
| c. 1533 | Write your answer |
| 1548 | Write your answer |
| 1551 | Write your answer |
| 1575 | Write your answer |
| 1595 | Write your answer |
| 1622 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
What was Philip for most of his first years of ministry in Rome? Circle one.
- A A layperson, not yet a priest
- B A monk in a strict monastery
- C A bishop sent by the Pope
- D A merchant with a large shop
Why is that the right answer?
The Oratory and the feathers
After his blank 5, people crowded into Philip’s room for informal gatherings: prayer, readings, short talks, discussion and music. The room was called an oratory, a place of prayer, and the name stuck to the community of priests that grew from it.
Philip spent long hours hearing blank 6. He also used humor on purpose, often making himself look silly so that no one would treat him as a living saint.
A well-known blank 7 says he once taught a lesson about gossip. He told a person who spread stories to scatter feathers through the streets and then collect them all. It could not be done. Words, once spread, cannot be collected either.
Why the jokes?
Why did Philip often act in ways that made people laugh at him? Circle one.
- A He did not take his faith seriously
- B He wanted to become famous in Rome
- C He wanted to stay humble and put people at ease
- D He was told to do it by the Pope
Why is that the right answer?
Feathers online
In the feather story, words cannot be gathered back. Sort each action: does it build communion, or does it scatter feathers? Check one box for each.
| Item | Builds communion | Scatters feathers |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshotting a private message and passing it around | ||
| Checking whether a rumor is true before repeating it | ||
| Reposting a story about someone because it is funny | ||
| Messaging a friend directly when you are upset with them | ||
| Adding a mocking comment to a classmate’s post | ||
| Asking an AI tool to write a fake story about a real person | ||
| Sharing a meme that makes fun of nobody | ||
| Telling the group chat to drop a rumor |
What is the Oratory?
What best describes the Oratory that Philip founded? Circle one.
- A An army that defended the city of Rome
- B A school that trained church musicians
- C A group of hermits who never spoke
- D A community of priests living together without vows
Why is that the right answer?
Talk it over
Philip changed Rome one conversation at a time, and the feather story warns that words cannot be called back. Online, a rumor can reach hundreds of people in minutes. What makes it so tempting to pass one on, and what would actually help you stop?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “It is tempting to share because ...”“One thing that would make me pause is ...”“If the rumor were about me, I would want ...”“A way to repair harm after sharing is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4
Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with your joy.
Guard what we say, send and share about others.
Make us friends who bring people closer to you.
St. Philip Neri, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
Philip Neri showed that joy and friendship can renew a whole city. His feast day is May 26.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Philip Neri shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Choose one of the three virtue practices and keep it every day until next week’s saint.