Normally, religious orders are founded - or begun - by one person. The Franciscans, for example, were begun by St. Francis of Assisi, the Discalced Carmelites by St. Teresa of Avila. Sometimes, an order is begun by two people, like St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal who founded the Visitation Sisters. But the Order of Servites is unique, as you will see.
Early in the thirteenth century, in the great city of Florence in Italy, seven young men had joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin - or the ‘Praisers of Mary’ as it was commonly called. At this time, Florence was very successful and wealthy. It also suffered from fighting among political groups, widespread heresies, and a general immorality that got worse and worse - even among "good" Catholics who still went to Church. In other words, it was just like today. But Heaven had a plan to revive the faith and morals of the people.
These seven young men were all from among the most important and powerful families of the city. These men had grown to be close friends and would practice the devotions of the Confraternity together. They were doing just that, on the Feast of the Assumption in 1233, when suddenly the Virgin Mary, surrounded by Angels, appeared to each of the men. She told them "I would like you to leave the world and later I will tell you what I want you to do." It was not an easy sacrifice. All were rich, some held important jobs and four of them had their own families - although two of these were widowers at this time. It was hard. They had to leave everything that the world treasures.
But Our Lady had chosen her young men well.
They knew that this world is filled with people and things that we think will make us happy. But in reality, they only make us miserable and can never satisfy us. In the end, we will also lose our souls and go to hell for all eternity. These seven men all desired to love God above all things and live for Him alone. Even though it would be hard, they gladly obeyed .They made arrangements for their dependents and settled their worldly affairs in three weeks.
On September 8, the Feast of the Nativity (birth) of Our Lady, they went with their Confessor to Carmozia, just outside the walls of Florence. Rejecting their wealth and important positions in society, they were now reduced to poverty. Like monks, they went from door to door begging for food.
They became so popular, that crowds of people came to Carmozia to be near these holy men. Some even asked to join their group. The seven men, however, did not want to start a religious order. They only wanted to become Saints by doing penance and prayer. They decided that these constant interruptions were serious obstacles to their spiritual life and so they moved to Monte Senario, eleven miles north of Florence. They built a simple church and lived as hermits on the untamed and deserted slopes of the mountain. They lived lives of incredible mortification and sacrifice.
They still were visited occasionally by men who wanted to join them. But, in their humility, the seven holy men rejected the idea of forming a religious order and so always sent their visitors away. Finally, they were visited by their bishop, who had encouraged them from the very beginning after Our Lady’s visions. He also brought a cardinal who had heard much about the holiness of these men. After his visit, he was very impressed by what he had witnessed but he challenged the men to be more open to God’s will for their work. Both he and the bishop believed that Heaven had greater plans than just the great holiness of these seven chosen men.
And so, the men devoted themselves especially to prayer, begging Our Lady to instruct them in God’s will. In April of 1240 their request was granted.
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to them again. In her hands she held a black habit. Multitudes of angels surrounded Her. Some bore the different instruments of Christ’s Passion. One held the Rule of St. Augustine. Another held in one hand a scroll, on which appeared the title "SERVANTS OF MARY" surrounded by golden rays, and in his other hand he held a palm branch. The Queen of Heaven and Earth addressed the men: "I have chosen you to be my first Servants, and under this name you are to till my Son's Vineyard. Here, too, is the habit which you are to wear; its dark colour will recall the pangs which I suffered on the day when I stood by the Cross of my only Son. Take also the Rule of St. Augustine, and may you, bearing the title of my Servants, obtain the palm of everlasting life."
The men elected the eldest as their superior and took the vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty. Six of the seven men began immediately to study for the priesthood at the request of the bishop. But one man, in humility, Alexius Falconieri could never be persuaded to become a priest. He has the unique distinction of being the uncle of one of the greatest female Saints of the Servite Order - Saint Juliana Falconieri. St. Juliana was taught carefully by her Uncle Alexius and St. Philip Benizi before joining the Servites as a member of their Third Order.
One of the most remarkable features of the Servants of Mary was its extraordinary growth. Before the end of the thirteenth century, there were Servite religious houses in Italy, Germany, France, and Spain, where the holy founders themselves spread devotion to the Sorrows of Mary. Early in the fourteenth century, the order had more than one hundred convents throughout Europe; including Hungary, Bohemia, Austria, Poland, and Belgium. There were even missions in Crete and India. The distinctive spirit of the order is the sanctification of its members by meditation on the Passion of Jesus and especially the Sorrows of Mary. They seek to spread this devotion wherever they go.
The order consists of three branches.
The First Order or Servite (‘Servants of Mary’) Fathers is, of course, the first. Among the holy men of the order was St. Philip Benizi, who was born on the day the Blessed Virgin first appeared to the Seven Founders (15 August, 1233). After the first founders, he took over the great work of spreading the Servants of Mary. He was so successful that he is called the Eighth Founder of the Order.
The Second Order (cloistered nuns) was probably founded by Blessed Helen and Blessed Rose, shortly after the death of St. Philip Benizi in 1285.
The Third Order of Mantellate was founded by St. Juliana Falconieri, to whom St. Philip gave the habit in 1284. From Italy it spread into other countries of Europe. The Venerable Anna Juliana, Archduchess of Austria, founded several houses and became a Mantellate herself. In 1844 it was introduced into France, and was thence extended into England in 1850. The sisters were the first to wear the religious habit publicly in that country after the so-called Reformation. Above all, in imitation of their holy foundress, St. Juliana, they do all in their power to instill into the hearts of those under their care a great love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
After the order was begun, the holy founders sought, as they should, the official approval of the Pope. Before they won Rome’s approval, they suffered many attacks from jealous enemies in the Church and even serious obstacles from well intentioned but misguided men of the Church. Although most popes continued to favor the order, it was not definitively approved until Benedict IX issued the Bull, "Dum levamus" on February 11, 1304. Of the seven original founders, only Saint Alexis Falconieri, the humble lay-brother, lived to see their foundation raised to the dignity of an approved religious order. He is reported to have died at the age one hundred and ten in 1310.
Our Lady had personally chosen seven men to begin this spirituality dedicated to meditating on her sorrows. Did she choose seven in anticipation of the great feastday that would, one day, encourage this devotion to her sorrows all over the world? The Servants of Mary were largely responsible for feastdays in the Church dedicated especially to the Sorrows of Our Lady. The feast that has survived to this day is The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The seven principle Sorrows of Mary that Heaven wants us to consider deeply and console Her for tenderly are:
- the prophecy of Simeon;
- the flight into Egypt;
- the loss of her Holy Child at Jerusalem;
- the meeting of Jesus on his way to Calvary;
- standing at the foot of the Cross;
- Jesus being taken from the Cross;
- at the burial of Christ.
In 1917, Our Blessed Mother was sent to Fatima, Portugal, by God Himself with a message for the whole world. The world was filled with the worst sins in the history of men. God would soon send terrible and just punishments for these crimes. But the worst crimes were sins of indifference, ingratitude and even worse - hatred - against His Most Perfect Mother. If the world would humble itself and make reparation to her Immaculate Heart for these sins, Jesus would be merciful instead. Bur the world has not heeded Our Lord’s request. Some have made reparation, but not enough. And so, God has sent punishments. But men have pridefully refused to learn from God’s chastisements and have become even more evil in their immorality and rejection of the True God and His Truths and Laws. And so, much worse punishments are coming for the world soon, very soon. Many people have a sense that "something is coming’. The sins of our day are unprecedented in their number, perversity and evil. The Holy Bible lists four sins that ‘cry to God for vengeance!’ All of these sins are being committed everywhere and in most places are even protected by law. And all of this going on while churchmen and women give them little or no condemnation. God told us, a long time ago, that He would never destroy the whole earth again by flood … the next time He had to punish the whole world for it’s crimes He would use fire. Will it be the ‘fire’ of nuclear weapons or some natural disaster from space? Maybe it will be both…
Will God’s Sacred Heart be moved to renew the earth in His mercy or will He be forced to purge it in His Justice? Is there still time to appease God’s anger and avoid His wrath? Perhaps, but where are those courageous and generous men, women and even children, who truly love God and The Blessed Virgin Mary? Where are they - those who are willing to ‘leave’ behind everything the world treasures to live lives of prayer, penance and sacrifice? Where are these souls who are willing, no matter where they are, to make the reparation to Our Blessed Mother that God has demanded, in order to obtain His mercy?
All our hopes for God’s mercy lie in these new Saints. There are prophecies from Saints of the past that say how the day will come when the Church will be threatened with her greatest crisis. To prevent lucifer from completely destroying the Roman Catholic Church, Our Lord, through His Mother, will raise up some of the greatest Saints in history.
Is that day now?
Are you one of those new Saints? …