The name refers to any member of the Society of the Oratory of Jesus, also called the French Congregation of the Oratory, founded by Pierre de Bérulle (1579–1629) in 1611 and officially instituted by Pope Paul V in 1613. He modeled it in part after the Oratory of Saint Phillip Neri (members of which are also called Oratorians) and adopted some of its practices, but aside from this there is no further connection between the two. Bérulle was motivated to form the congregation by a desire to reform the priesthood in France. His aim was to establish a society of theologically educated and morally upstanding priests capable of instructing the laity on the truths of the Catholic faith, in his mind a much needed response to the Protestant threat. With regard to theology, Bérulle was influenced by Neoplatonism in general and Saint Augustine in particular, and the society would grow to include many Augustinian theologians. As for philosophy, though it would be too strong to call Bérulle a Cartesian – he was more concerned with matters religious and political – he was favorably disposed to the work of Descartes. Over the course of the seventeenth century, however, the congregation would include philosophers properly considered Cartesian, such as Bernard Lamy (1640–1715) and Nicolas-Joseph Poisson (1637–1710), as well as those whose thought is heavily indebted to Descartes, such as Nicolas Malebranche (1638–1715). On the other hand, Jean-Baptiste de la Grange, a fierce opponent of Cartesianism, was also an Oratorian, as was Jean-Baptiste Duhamel (1624–1706), who sought to blend the best elements of ancient philosophy and Cartesianism. While its primary mission was the spiritual formation of priests, the society also committed itself to educating the young, running many colleges in France, including those at Saumur, Mans, Vendôme, Juilly, and Angers. Though Bérulle himself held the Jesuit order in high regard and counted several Jesuits among his friends, friction quickly developed between the Oratory and the Society of Jesus, in part because the latter viewed the former as a rival regarding education of the youth. In 1792 the chaos caused by the French Revolution led to the disbanding of the congregation, though the society was re-formed sixty years later, in 1852, by Joseph Gratry. Today there are approximately fifty French Oratorians.