Saint Philip of Palermo
Profile
A wealthy couple of the Settimi family of Palermo, Italy had finally accepted that they were not going to have children. The man made a pilgrimage to ask Saint Philip of Agira what he should do with his estate when he died. Philip told him to hold onto it as the prayers of the couple were answered, and he would soon have a son. When the boy was born, the happy couple named him Philip in gratitude.
At age nine, the boy was Confirmed by Saint Philip of Agira who exhorted him not to give himself to worldly things, but to serve God in joy. He took this to heart, spending his family’s fortune to built churches, support clerics, and forward evangelization. Deacon. When his parents died, Philip gave the rest of his wealth to the poor, and returned to Agira to spend his life as a spiritual student of his namesake.
- Pre-Congregation
- added to the calendar of the Diocese of Palermo, Italy by Cardinal Giannettino Doria in 1611
- 1887 by Pope Leo XIII (cultus confirmation)
MLA Citation
- “Saint Philip of Palermo“. CatholicSaints.Info. 18 September 2023. Web. 6 June 2024. <>