St Luigi’s life and work were always guided by divine providence. Though as can be the case in our own lives — and even more in the lives of the Saints — this took many turns and led him to heaven by a narrow and rocky path.

From early childhood Luigi was filled with the Oratorian spirit. His half-brother Carlo was a member of the Udine Oratory for four years, until its suppression by Napoleonic forces in 1810. When Luigi was ordained in 1827, at the age of 23, he celebrated his first Mass at the former Oratory Church, and then devoted himself to serving the poor after St Philip’s example. Then in 1846, the Udine Oratory was re-established with Father Carlo as the Provost. Luigi joined the Oratory that same year, and would consider himself an Oratorian to the end of his life. He exhibited the Philippine spirit with such perfection that, after the death of Father Carlo in 1856, he was elected Provost himself. Providence, however, had not finished with him yet, and the Udine Oratory was suppressed once again, eleven years later, sharing the fate of so many congregations caught in the anti-clericalism of unified Italy. This obstacle could not stop St Luigi. He continued to imitate St Philip and, when he died, the words Priest of the Oratory were written on his headstone. Such was his faithfulness and dedication in living out our charism, despite such serious obstacles, that he is now celebrated as a saint of the Oratory, and we keep his feast this Saturday.

Luigi’s greatest work was with the poor, which relied on providence in equal measure. Feeding and schooling orphans at a time of war and famine was no easier than living out the Oratorian vocation amidst militant anti-clericalism. In times of extreme want, he would gather his orphans in the chapel and knock on the tabernacle door, trusting that God, knowing their need, would provide for them. He named the congregation he founded The Sisters of Providence, and despite the hard times, Luigi opened twelve houses before he died. They fared better in the face of anti-clericalism than the Oratory and continued their work past Luigi’s death, helping to lead scores of orphans to a better life. In some of his last words written to the sisters, Luigi encouraged them saying: “After my death, your congregation will have many troubles, but afterwards it will have a new life.”This was how he saw providence working in his life, leading him through hardship to new life in heaven, and that is how he believed it would keep working in the life of their congregation.

Our lives may also take unexpected turns, and we can’t always see how we will accomplish the tasks God has destined for us (even if they seem much simpler than saving orphans or founding a new religious order). In all of these trials, we must follow St Luigi’s example and place ourselves at the mercy of “that loving tender providence that never deserts those who trust in him”. Like St Luigi, we will gain strength in our own struggles if we always keep in mind that we live for Christ and remember the words he addressed to the Sisters of Providence: “The weariness, persevering effort, constant work and the tiresome attention should not cause you discouragement, because you know you are doing all this for Jesus.”

Each Sunday at Benediction, just before the Salve Regina, the Fathers and Brothers process to the Lady Chapel and pray Cardinal Wiseman’s prayer to Our Lady for England. We pray that Our Mother might intercede for England, her Dowry, and for the all souls in this land, that every single one should be “united to the Chief Shepherd, the vicar of her Son”. Other prayers appointed for Benediction each month recall how this land was once an island of saints and remind us of the great heritage of sanctity left to us by our forebears in this country who “delivered to us inviolate the faith of the Holy Roman Church”. The feasts and memory of our glorious martyrs continue to encourage us to work and to pray for the return of England to the Catholic Faith. All these devotions arise not from misplaced nationalism, but of real patriotism and charity — we love this country and are commanded to love everyone in it, and so must desire that every single soul is able to glory in the Truth and to know, love, and serve, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heaven has seen fit to encourage us to pray for the conversion of England through the lives and examples of so many saints — often those who had never even set foot on the shores of this land. Our own beloved Father, Saint Philip, would greet the seminarians of the English College as they set out to return to the English mission, facing the chance of martyrdom and always of great hardship, with the phrase Salvete flores martyrum — “Hail, flowers of the martyrs” — and no doubt prayed for their success in their apostolic labours. Our Blessed Juvenal Ancina once met a very poorly dressed English priest at Naples who had fled from the Elizabethan persecutions and was so moved by charity that he gave his own cassock to the priest who cried in gratitude “Father Juvenal is a saint; he has stripped himself to save me”. The love of our Cardinal, St John Henry Newman, for his country and his desire that all should enter into the one fold of the Redeemer is a love he bequeathed to all the English Oratory and which encourages us in our work to this day.

The Passionist Congregation seems especially to have been chosen by God to work for England’s conversion. St Paul of the Cross was inspired to pray for our conversion by a series of mystical events and towards the end of his life was consoled during Mass by a vision of his religious working in this country. Perhaps then he saw Blessed Dominic Barberi whom heaven also inspired to pray for England and then to work here tirelessly until his death — how we treasure the scene of a rain-soaked Blessed Dominic drying himself by the fire of the College at Littlemore when Newman approached him and asked to be received into the Catholic Church. Another Passionist, Fr Ignatius Spencer, spent his Catholic life travelling the length and breadth of this country and of Europe soliciting prayers for the conversion of England and until the last century in every Passionist house throughout the world three Hail Marys were prayed each day after Compline for the conversion of England.

In the life of little Saint Dominic Savio we also see heaven’s interest in England’s conversion. His director, St John Bosco tells how St Dominic related to him that “one morning, during my thanksgiving after Communion, I had a repeated distraction, which was strange for me. I thought I saw a great stretch of country enveloped in a thick mist and it was filled with a multitude of people. They were moving about, but like men who, having missed their way, are not sure of their footing. Someone nearby me said: ‘This is England.’ I was going to ask some questions about it when I saw his Holiness Pius IX as I had seen him represented in pictures. He was majestically clad, and was carrying a shining torch with which he approached the multitude as if to enlighten their darkness. As he drew near, the light of the torch seemed to disperse the mist, and the people were left in broad daylight. ‘This torch,’ said my informant, “is the Catholic religion which is to illuminate England.’”

At La Salette in 1846 Our Lady stated that “A great country, now Protestant, in the north of Europe, will be converted; by the support of this country all the other nations of the world will be converted.” This has generally been taken to refer to England and indeed it was his devotion to La Salette that inspired the Curé d’Ars, St Jean Marie Vianney, to urge others to pray for England’s conversion. The holy Curé once received Archbishop William Ullathorne of Birmingham who urged him to pray for English Catholics amidst their sufferings. Ullathorne relates how then “Suddenly he interrupted me by opening those eyes — cast into shadow by their depth, when listening or reflecting — and streaming their full light upon me in a manner I can never forget, he said, in a voice as firm and full of confidence as though he were making an act of faith… ‘I believe that the Church in England will recover her ancient splendour.’ I am sure he firmly believes this, from whatever source he has derived the impression.”

The above are but a few examples that inspire us and encourage us to love our neighbours by praying and working for the salvation of their souls. In the Oratory we are reminded by St Philip that “the true servant of God acknowledges no other country but heaven” and that is why we pray and work for the conversion of England, one heart, one soul, at a time — so that we all may one day meet merrily there.

In giving alms to the poor we must act as good ministers of the Providence of God. (18 September)

God’s providence in our life is best understood as running deep. Every good gift we have comes from him and he provides for us in all sorts of ways. In many of them we cooperate with his gifts to bring about more, becoming stewards and co-creators with God of his ongoing creation. At its deepest, his providence is felt in our very being. There is no heartbeat, no blink of our eye, that God does not love into being, so intent is he on providing for us.

Hospitality and giving to those who have less than us have always been essential expressions of Christian love. The scriptures are full of references to such acts, from entertaining angels when we are unaware to the parable of the Good Samaritan binding up the wounds of one who should be his adversary. Giving alms to the poor, as St Philip puts it, means that we are not just beneficiaries of God’s providence to us, but are, in fact, participants in it. We become co-workers with providence when we give to those who are in need.

This activity was one of St Philip’s first tools when he sought to help his young friends along the path to conversion. As good and laudable as saying our prayers and thinking on the things of God are in themselves, they do not amount to very much in real terms (as St James reminded us last Sunday) if they do not translate into action. Faith must inspire works, and so St Philip’s first approach to a new friend began with the words, “When shall we begin to do good?” When shall we begin to do good, not just consider its merits or think about how nice it is that other people do that sort of thing. The young nobles St Philip recruited into the early Oratory really were the rich at the service of the poor. But then, are we not all rich who experience God’s love, who are able to serve others? In stretching out the hand of welcome and service, of giving to those who are poor we all become rich in the currency that really matters, the currency of heaven.

In 1558 St Philip founded a hostel for pilgrims and convalescents who found themselves on hard times or with no one to care for them. He also founded a confraternity to staff and fund this hostel that scooped up the wretched and the forgotten and gave them a home and friendship. That confraternity (which still exists in Rome) is dedicated to the Blessed Trinity and so by their simple acts of kindness to the homeless and the poor they express something sublime — the very love that is at the heart of God, the communion of the Trinity.

Although the world would put the donor in a position of power over the one who receives the gift, in the logic of God’s Kingdom it is otherwise. In fact an equality is created. By giving to others in acts of generosity or service or simple human kindness we are sharing what we have already received from God and are sharing in the building of his kingdom by passing it on. We are restoring the dignity to the poor that is theirs by virtue of being God’s children.

So since we cannot avoid being the beneficiaries of the providence of God, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we refused to avoid being good ministers and stewards of that providence by serving those in need just as part and parcel of everyday life. Since we are all pilgrims on the road to heaven wouldn’t it be delightful if we made it our special care to share our friendship with our fellow pilgrims who have slipped behind a little. If we took that as seriously as saying our prayers, God could do much through us indeed.

We are celebrating the launch of our new edition of St Philip’s Maxims this summer by exploring some of those maxims together each week.