The feast of St Charles Borromeo, an early supporter of the Oratory and friend of St Philip Neri.

When the nascent Oratorian community in Rome came under threat of ecclesiastical censure, St Charles spoke in its favour, and even attempted to draw St Philip to his own city of Milan to start the Oratory there. Though this never came to pass, St Charles founded the Oblates of St Ambrose, a society of secular priests modelled on the Oratory.

St Philip admired St Charles for his love of God and service to the Milanese people, especially his heroic ministry to plague victims during an epidemic in 1575-78. The two saints were, in different parts of the Lord’s vineyard, fellow workers in the renewal of the Church.