Saint Alexis Falconieri
et les sept fondateurs des Servites
Vers 1233, sept prospères
commerçants florentins qui avaient tous de trente à trente-cinq ans se
retirèrent dans la solitude du Monte Senario, afin d'y mener une vie
fraternelle de pauvreté et de pénitence dans la contemplation de la Passion de
Jésus sous l'égide de Marie. Ils n'avaient jamais songé à fonder un ordre de
religieux, mais Rome le leur imposa et ce fut leur dévotion à la Sainte Mère de
Dieu qui leur fit donner le nom de "servites" ou " serviteurs de
Marie." Parmi les sept saints, les plus connus sont Bonfils Monaldo,
premier prieur du Mont Senario, et Alexis Falconieri, qui avait refusé
l’ordination presbytérale et mourut le 17 février 1310, plus que centenaire,
témoin de la constitution définitive de l’Ordre des Servites en 1304.
Antonio
Balestra, I Sette Santi Fondatori dell'Ordine
ricevono l'abito religioso da Maria
Vergine (prima metà del XVIII
secolo)
Saint Alexis Falconieri
Et les fondateurs des
Servites (+ 1310)
Alexis Falconieri est l'un des sept marchands florentins qui se libérèrent des servitudes de leur négoce pour vivre au service de l'Église, à l'image de la Mère de Dieu, dans la prière et dans l'apostolat. Ils étaient grands amis, ils avaient tous de trente à trente-cinq ans quand ils se retirèrent, silencieux, se construisant des huttes de bois dans la forêt, s'adonnant à la prière et au travail de leurs mains. A tour de rôle, ils prenaient la besace et se faisaient mendiants pour s'assimiler à la classe la plus pauvre et récolter beaucoup d'humiliations de la part de ceux qui se souvenaient de leurs richesses anciennes. Ils n'avaient jamais songé à fonder un ordre de religieux, mais Rome le leur imposa et ce fut leur dévotion à la Sainte Mère de Dieu qui leur fit donner le nom de "servites" ou "serviteurs de Marie."
Les sept saints fondateurs de notre ordre (document en pdf)
Léon XIII, en 1888, les canonisa collectivement sous les noms de Bonfils, Bienvenu, Manet, Amédée, Hugues, Sosthène, Alexis. Leurs corps sont ensevelis au Mont Sénario, dans le même sépulcre, afin qu'une même châsse conserve, une fois morts, ceux que la vie fraternelle avait unis.
Mémoire des sept saints fondateurs de l'Ordre des Servites de Marie. Marchands
de Florence, ils décidèrent d'un commun accord de s'établir sur le mont Senario
au service de la Vierge Marie et de fonder un Ordre sous la Règle de saint
Augustin. Un même esprit de fraternité les réunit dans leur vie, une vénération
commune du peuple les a accompagnés après leur mort. Ils sont commémorés
ensemble le jour où serait mort centenaire le dernier d'entre eux, Alexis, en
1310.
Martyrologe romain
Fais-moi chanter l'amour
de la Bienheureuse, de la Dame qui se réjouit du Christ. Donne-moi réconfort,
Mère du Bel Amour et mets feu et flamme en mon cœur. Confortez-vous en grande
allégresse, vous qui avez grande espérance en Dieu. Voici la Madone et son
Fils. Ne sommes-nous point en sûreté !
Laudes italiennes du
XIIIe siècle
Monogramme
de l’Ordre des Servites de Marie, façade de l’église Santa Caterina, Treviso
Monogram
of the Servite Order in Santa Caterina's facade, Treviso (IT)
Saint Alexis Falconieri et les sept fondateurs de l’Ordre des « Servites de Marie »
Fête Le 17 Février
Alexis, en italien
Alessio, Falconieri, né en 1200 à Florence (Toscane), où il est mort le 17
février 1310, est l'un des sept fondateurs de l’Ordre des Servites de Marie.
Il est fêté dans l’Église catholique le 17 février, date de sa mort, en même temps que ses autres compagnons, canonisés ensemble « comme un seul homme » par le pape Léon XIII (Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci, 1878-1903), le 15 janvier 1888.
Alexis était le fils de
Bernard Falconieri, riche négociant de Florence. Sa famille appartenait au
parti des Guelfes, favorable à la papauté, et opposé aux tenants du
Saint-Empire romain germanique. Il grandit dans une atmosphère pieuse,
cultivant l'humilité et la charité et rejoignit, ensuite, une confraternité
religieuse dédiée à la Vierge Marie, où il rencontra ses six futurs
compagnons : Bonfils (Bonfilio), Bienvenu (Bonagiunta), Manet (Manetto),
Amédée (Amadeo), Sosthène (Sostegno) et Hugues (Uguccione).
Tous les sept fondèrent l’Ordre des Servites de Marie.
Ses biographes ont relaté
l'apparition qu'il eut de la Vierge Marie, le 15 août 1233.
Il ne voulut jamais être ordonné prêtre, ne s'estimant pas digne de cette fonction, et préféra rester frère lai, occupé aux basses besognes, allant mendier la subsistance de ses frères.
En 1252, avec l'aide financière de Chiarissimo Falconieri, il acheva la construction de l'église de Cafaggio, dans les faubourgs de Florence. Il fut le directeur spirituel de sa nièce, Julienne Falconieri, qui fut canonisée en 1737.
À la fin de sa vie,
Alexis Falconieri se retira d'abord à La Camarzia, une maison à l'extérieur de
la ville, et enfin à l’abbaye de Monte Senario où il mourut, âgé de 110 ans, le
17 février 1310.
Ses six compagnons
étaient partis vers la maison du Père bien des années avant lui :
- Bonfilio († 1er
janvier 1262)
- Bonagiunta († 31
août 1267)
- Manetto († 20
août 1268)
- Amadio († 18
avril 1266)
- Sostegno et Uguccione († 3 mai 1282)
Les sept fondateurs des
Servites de Marie sont habituellement représentés ensemble, vêtus de bure
noire, en contemplation devant la Vierge Marie.
Comme un même lien de
vraie fraternité avait uni ces sept hommes durant leur vie, ainsi la postérité
les embrassa dans une seule et même vénération.
Leurs corps sont
ensevelis au Mont Sénario, près de l’église de l’Annonciation, à Florence, dans
le même sépulcre, afin qu'une même châsse conserve, une fois morts, ceux que la
vie fraternelle avait unis.
SOURCE : https://levangileauquotidien.org/FR/display-saint/1497172a-673f-4217-958e-527a799c840e
chiesa dei Sette santi fondatori,
architettura neogotica, Firenze, arcidiocesi di Firenze,
città metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana
chiesa dei Sette santi fondatori, architettura neogotica, Firenze, arcidiocesi di Firenze, città metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana
chiesa dei Sette santi fondatori,
architettura neogotica, Firenze, arcidiocesi di Firenze,
città metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana
Les Sept Saints
Fondateurs des Frères Servites
Le 15 août 1633, sept
nobles Florentins, célébrant pieusement la grande fête de l'Assomption, eurent
chacun une vision de la Très Sainte Vierge, les invitant à une vie plus
parfaite. Leurs noms étaient Bonfils Monaldi, Buonagiunta Manetti, Manetto de
l'Antella, Amédée des Amidei, Uguccione des Uguccioni, Sostène des Sostegni et
Alexis Falconieri.
S'étant convertis, ils
renoncèrent à leurs richesses, se couvrirent de vêtements pauvres et se
retirèrent, le 8 septembre suivant, dans une humble maison, pour célébrer
ensemble la Nativité de Marie. Leur commun dessein de vie religieuse reçut la
sanction d'un miracle.
Pendant qu'ils mendiaient
leur pain de porte en porte, tout à coup, en les voyant, un petit enfant de
cinq mois à peine les acclama sous le nom de Serviteurs de Marie. Ils gardèrent
ce nom, évidemment venu du Ciel, et commencèrent, sur une montagne voisine, une
vie toute céleste, reposant sur une grande pauvreté, une austère mortification,
la méditation de la Passion de Jésus-Christ et de la douloureuse Compassion de
la Sainte Mère de Dieu.
Cet institut nouveau fut
approuvé par le Pape Innocent IV, et se développa rapidement en Italie, en
France, en Allemagne et en Pologne. Les Sept Fondateurs, après un laborieux
apostolat, fécondé par de nombreux miracles, moururent entourés de la
vénération des peuples et furent ensevelis à leur tour dans le même tombeau, en
sorte que la mort ne sépara pas ceux que la vertu avait unis dans un tendre
amour pour Jésus et Marie. Honorés depuis longtemps comme Bienheureux, ils
furent canonisés par le Pape Léon XIII pendant les fêtes du Cinquantenaire de
son sacerdoce.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie
des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/les_sept_saints_fondateurs_des_freres_servites.html
Firenze, Sette Santi Fondatori, convento, ingresso
Les SEPT SAINTS
FONDATEURS des SERVITES de MARIE
Le ciel de l'Église
s'assombrit. Tout nous annonce déjà les jours où l'Emmanuel apparaîtra dans
l'état lamentable où l'auront mis nos crimes. Bethléem appelait-elle donc si
tôt le Calvaire ! Au pied de la Croix comme en Ephrata, nous retrouverons la
Mère de la divine grâce ; alors Marie enfantera dans ses larmes les frères du
premier-né dont la naissance fut toute de douceur. Comme nous avons goûté ses
joies, nous saurons avec elle pleurer et souffrir.
Prenons modèle des
bienheureux honorés en ce jour. Leur vie se consuma dans la contemplation des
souffrances de Notre-Dame; l'Ordre qu'ils établirent eut pour mission de
propager le culte de ces inénarrables douleurs. C'était le temps où saint
François d'Assise venait d'arborer comme à nouveau sur un monde refroidi le
signe du divin Crucifié ; dans cette reprise de l'œuvre du salut, pas plus
qu'au Vendredi de la grande semaine, Jésus ne pouvait se montrer à la terre
sans Marie: les Servîtes complétèrent par ce côté l'œuvre du patriarche des
Mineurs ; l'humanité désemparée retrouva confiance en méditant sur la passion
du Fils et la compassion de la Mère.
Quelle place occupent
dans l'économie de la rédemption les douleurs de la Vierge très sainte, c'est
ce que doivent nous dire en leur temps deux fêtes diverses appelées à en
consacrer le mystère. Les complaisances de la souveraine des cieux pour l'Ordre
qui s'en fit l'apôtre, apparurent dans la multiple effusion de sainteté dont
son origine fut marquée. L'épanouissement simultané des sept lis que les Anges
cueillent aujourd'hui sur terre offre un spectacle inusité au ciel Pierre de
Vérone en eut la vision, au temps où leurs tiges implantaient sur la cime du
Senario leurs racines fécondes; et le futur Martyr vit la Vierge bénie sourire
à la montagne d'où d'autres fleurs sans nombre, nées à l'entour, envoyaient
aussi leurs parfums sur l'Église. Jamais Florence, la ville des fleurs, n'avait
encore à ce point fructifié pour Dieu. Aussi l'enfer, qui à l'heure même
multipliait ses entreprises sur la noble cité, ne put prévaloir contre Marie
dans ses murs. Les fêtes de Julienne Falconiéri, de Philippe Benizi, qui
précédèrent au Cycle sacré celle de ce jour, nous ramèneront à ces pensées.
Mais dès maintenant, unissons notre gratitude à celle de l'Église pour la
famille religieuse des Servites ; le monde lui doit d'avoir avancé dans la
connaissance et l'amour de la Mère de Dieu, devenue notre mère au prix de
souffrances que nul autre enfantement ne connut.
Le récit consacré par
l'Église à la mémoire des saints fondateurs nous dira leurs mérites, et les
bénédictions dont leur fidélité à Marie fut récompensée. Le 11 février, choisi
pour la célébration de leur commune fête, ne rappelle la mort d'aucun des sept
bienheureux; mais c'est à pareil jour qu'en 1304, après des vicissitudes
infinies, l'Ordre sorti d'eux obtint l'approbation définitive de l'Église.
Lorsque, au XIII° siècle,
le schisme funeste excité par Frédéric II et de sanglantes factions divisaient
les peuples les plus policés d'Italie, la prévoyante miséricorde de Dieu, entre
d'autres personnages illustres par leur sainteté, suscita sept nobles
Florentins dont l'union dans la charité allait faire un mémorable exemple
d'amour fraternel. C'étaient Bonfils Monaldi, Buonagiunta Manetti, Manetto de
l'Antella, Amédée des Amidei, Uguccione des Uguccioni, Sostène des Sostegni et
Alexis Falconieri. Comme en l'année trente-trois de ce siècle, au jour de
l'Assomption de la bienheureuse Vierge, ils priaient avec ferveur dans le lieu
de réunion de la pieuse confrérie dite des Laudesi, la Mère de Dieu apparut à
chacun d'eux, les exhortant à embrasser un genre de vie plus saint et plus
parfait. En ayant donc conféré d'abord avec l’évêque de Florence, ces sept
hommes eurent bientôt fait de dire adieu à leur noblesse et à leurs richesses ;
ils n'eurent plus pour vêtements que des habits vils et usés recouvrant un
cilice; le huit septembre, ils s'établissaient dans une humble retraite en
dehors de la ville, voulant placer les débuts de leur nouvelle existence sous
les auspices du jour où la Mère de Dieu, naissant parmi les humains, avait
elle-même commencé sa vie très sainte.
Dieu montra par un
miracle combien leur résolution lui était agréable. Comme en effet, peu après,
tous les sept traversaient Florence en y mendiant de porte en porte, il arriva
que soudain la voix des enfants, parmi lesquels saint Philippe Benizi âgé de
cinq mois à peine, les acclama comme Serviteurs de la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie
; c'était le nom qu'ils devaient garder désormais. A la suite de ce prodige ,
l'amour qu'ils avaient pour la solitude les portant à éviter le concours du
peuple, ils choisirent pour retraite le mont Senario. Là, s'adonnant à une vie
toute céleste, ils séjournaient dans les cavernes, se contentaient d'eau et
d'herbes pour nourriture, brisaient leur corps par les veilles et d'autres
macérations. La passion du Christ et les douleurs de sa très affligée Mère
étaient l'objet de leurs continuelles méditations. Un jour de Vendredi saint
qu'ils s'absorbaient avec une ferveur plus grande en ces considérations, la
Bienheureuse Vierge, apparaissant à tous en personne une seconde fois, leur
montra l'habit de deuil qu'ils devaient revêtir, et leur dit qu'il lui serait
très agréable de les voir fonder dans l'Église un nouvel Ordre régulier, dont
la mission serait de pratiquer et de promouvoir sans cesse le culte des
douleurs endurées par elle au pied de la croix du Seigneur. Dans
l'établissement de cet Ordre sous le titre de Servites de la Bienheureuse
Vierge, ils eurent pour conseil saint Pierre Martyr, l'illustre Frère Prêcheur,
devenu l'intime de ces saints personnages, et qu'une vision particulière de la
Mère de Dieu avait instruit de ses volontés L'Ordre fut ensuite approuvé par le
Souverain Pontife Innocent IV.
Nos saints s'étant donc
adjoint des compagnons, se mirent à parcourir les villes et les bourgs de
l'Italie, spécialement en Toscane, prêchant partout le Christ crucifié,
apaisant les discordes civiles, et ramenant au sentier de la vertu un nombre
presque infini d'égarés. Ce ne fut pas seulement au reste l'Italie, mais aussi
la France, l'Allemagne et la Pologne qui profitèrent de leurs évangéliques
labeurs. Enfin, après avoir répandu au loin la bonne odeur du Christ et s'être
vus illustrés par la gloire des miracles, ils passèrent au Seigneur. Un même
amour de la vraie fraternité et de la religion les avait unis dans la vie. un
même tombeau couvrit leurs corps, une même vénération du peuple les suivit dans
la mort. C'est pourquoi les Souverains Pontifes Clément XI et Benoît XIII
confirmèrent le culte indivis qui leur était rendu depuis plusieurs siècles ;
et Léon XIII, ayant premièrement approuvé la valeur en la cause, puis reconnu
la vérité des miracles opérés par Dieu sur leur invocation collective, les
éleva en l'année cinquantième de son sacerdoce aux honneurs suprêmes des
Saints, établissant que leur mémoire serait célébrée tous les ans par l'Office
et la Messe dans toute l'Église.
Comme vous avez fait des
douleurs de Marie vos propres douleurs, elle partage avec vous maintenant ses
joies éternelles. Cependant la vigne dont les grappes, mûrissant avant l'heure,
présageaient votre fécondité sur une terre glacée, exhale encore ses suaves
parfums dans le séjour de notre exil. Le peuple fidèle apprécie grandement les
fruits qu'elle produit toujours ; depuis longtemps il honorait, à titre de
rameaux du cep béni, les Philippe, les Julienne; mais aujourd'hui ses hommages
remontent à la septuple racine d'où leur sève est tirée. Vous vous complûtes
dans l'obscurité où la Reine des Saints passa elle-même sa vie mortelle. Mais
en ce siècle où la gloire de Marie perce tous les nuages, il n'est point
d'ombre qui puisse soustraire plus longtemps les serviteurs a l'éclat dont
resplendit leur auguste Maîtresse.
Que vos bienfaits vous
manifestent toujours plus! Ne cessez point de réchauffer le cœur du monde
vieilli au foyer où le vôtre puisa la vigueur d'amour qui le fit triompher du
siècle et s'immoler pour Dieu. Cœur de Marie, dont le glaive de douleur a fait
jaillir des flammes où les Séraphins alimenteront éternellement leurs feux,
soyez pour nous modèle, refuge et réconfort, en attendant le moment fortuné qui
terminera l'exil de cette terre des souffrances et des larmes.
SOURCE : http://saints-et-bienheureux.blogspot.ca/2011/03/les-sept-saints-fondateurs-des-servites.html
Les Sept Saints
Fondateurs de l’ordre des Servites
Morts entre 1242 et 1310.
Canonisés en 1887. Fête la même année.
AUX PREMIÈRES VÊPRES.
avant 1960
Ant.au Magnificat Votre
louange, ô Vierge Marie, ne cessera jamais de s’élever de la bouche des hommes
qui se souviendront de la puissance du Seigneur, et pour lesquels vous n’avez
pas épargné votre âme.
V/. Ceux-ci sont des
hommes de miséricorde, et les œuvres de leur piété n’ont pas manqué.
R/. Et leur postérité,
ainsi que leur gloire, ne sera pas abandonnée.
A MATINES. avant 1960
Hymnus
Bella dum late fúrerent,
et urbes
Cæde fratérna gémerent cruéntæ,
Adfuit Virgo, nova semper
edens
Múnera matris.
En vocat septem fámulos,
fidéles
Ut sibi in luctu récolant
dolóres,
Quos tulit Iesus, tulit
ipsa consors
Sub cruce Nati.
Illico parent Dóminæ
vocánti :
Spléndidis tectis
opibúsque spretis,
Urbe secédunt procul in
Senári
Abdita montis.
Córpora hic pœnis
crúciant acérbis,
Sóntium labes hóminum
piántes ;
Hic prece avértunt
lacrimísque fusis
Núminis iram.
Pérdolens Mater fovet,
atque amíctum
Ipsa lugúbrem monet
induéndum :
Agminis sancti pia cœpta
surgunt,
Mira patéscunt.
Palmes in bruma víridans
honóres
Núntiat patrum : próprios
Maríæ
Ore lacténti vócitant
puélli
Nómine Servos.
Hymne
Tandis que la guerre
étendait ses ravages, et que les villes ensanglantées déploraient des massacres
fratricides, la Vierge apparut, elle qui nous offre toujours de nouveaux
bienfaits maternels.
Voilà qu’elle se choisit
sept serviteurs, afin que, lui étant fidèles dans l’affliction, ils honorent et
méditent les douleurs qu’embrassa Jésus, et qu’elle-même, associée à son Fils,
souffrit au pied de la croix.
Aussitôt ils obéissent à
la Souveraine qui les appelle : méprisant leurs demeures splendides et leurs
richesses, ils se retirent loin de la ville sur le Sénar, dans les retraites
cachées de la montagne.
Ils crucifient leur corps
par les rigueurs de la pénitence, expiant ainsi les péchés des hommes coupables
; par les prières et les larmes qu’ils répandent, ils détournent la colère
divine.
La Mère de douleurs, les
protège et les avertit elle-même de revêtir un vêtement de deuil : cette sainte
troupe commence à grandir, et l’éclat des miracles l’environne.
Une vigne qui reverdit au
milieu des frimas annonce la gloire de ces saints fondateurs ; la voix
d’enfants à la mamelle les acclame sous le nom de Serviteurs de Marie.
Honneur soit toujours au
Père et au Fils qu’il engendre, et à l’Esprit égal à l’un et à l’autre, honneur
au seul Dieu dans tous les siècles Amen.
Au deuxième nocturne.
Quatrième leçon. Au XIIIe
siècle, alors que les parties les plus florissantes de l’Italie étaient
déchirées par le schisme funeste de Frédéric II et par de cruelles factions, la
Providence miséricordieuse de Dieu suscita, parmi tant d’autres hommes
illustres par leur sainteté, sept nobles Florentins qui, unis par la charité,
offrirent un exemple remarquable d’amour fraternel. Ces hommes, à savoir
Bonfilio Monaldi, Bonajuncta Manetto, Manetto d’Antelles, Am-dée de Amidéis,
Uguccio Uguccioni, Sostène de Sos-teneis et Alexis Falconiéri, au jour de
l’Assomption de l’année 1233, priaient avec ferveur dans rassemblée d’une
pieuse confrérie appelée des Laudantes, lorsque la Mère de Dieu, apparaissant à
chacun d’eux, les invita à embrasser un genre de vie plus saint et plus
parfait. Ayant donc pris conseil de l’Évêque de Florence, et renonçant aux
honneurs de leur rang comme à leurs richesses, portant un cilice sous des
vêtements pauvres et usés, ils se retirèrent à la campagne dans une humble
demeure, le huitième jour de septembre, afin de débuter dans une vie plus
sainte au jour même où la Mère de Dieu avait commencé sa vie très sainte parmi
les mortels.
Cinquième leçon. Dieu
montra par un miracle combien cette résolution, lui était agréable. Peu de
temps après, comme ces sept hommes parcouraient la ville de Florence, en
demandant l’aumône aux portes des maisons, il arriva tout à coup qu’ils furent
acclamés Serviteurs de la bienheureuse Vierge Marie par la voix de petits enfants,
et entre autres de saint Philippe Beniti à peine âgé de quatre mois. Ce nom
leur fut désormais toujours conservé. Voulant éviter le concours du peuple et
pressés par l’amour de la solitude, ils se retirèrent tous au mont Sénar. Ils y
commencèrent un genre de vie vraiment céleste. Habitant des cavernes, vivant
d’eau et d’herbes sauvages, ils mortifiaient leur corps par des veilles et
d’autres austérités. La passion du Christ et les douleurs de sa Mère affligée
étaient l’objet de leurs continuelles méditations. Comme ils s’y livraient avec
plus d’ardeur un jour de vendredi saint, la bienheureuse Vierge elle-même leur
apparut à deux reprises, leur montrant l’habit sombre qu’ils devaient revêtir,
et leur fit connaître qu’elle aurait pour très agréable qu’ils établissent dans
l’Église un nouvel Ordre religieux, destiné à garder perpétuellement et à
propager parmi les peuples la dévotion aux douleurs qu’elle a souffertes pour
nous au pied de la croix du Seigneur. Saint Pierre, illustre Martyr de l’Ordre
des Frères Prêcheurs, ayant appris ces choses, par les relations familières
qu’il entretenait avec ces saints hommes et par une apparition particulière de
la Mère de Dieu, les engagea à instituer un Ordre religieux sous le nom de
Serviteurs de la bienheureuse Vierge, Ordre qui fut ensuite approuvé par le
pape Innocent IV.
Sixième leçon. Ces
bienheureux Pères, auxquels de nombreux compagnons Ces bienheureux Pères,
auxquels de nombreux compagnons vinrent bientôt s’adjoindre, commencèrent alors
à parcourir les villes et les bourgades de l’Italie, principalement celles de
l’Étrurie ; ils prêchèrent partout Jésus crucifié, apaisant les discordes
civiles et rappelant au sentier de la vertu une multitude presque infinie de
pauvres égarés. La France, l’Allemagne et la Pologne, aussi bien que l’Italie,
eurent part à leurs travaux évangéliques. Enfin, après avoir répandu au loin la
bonne odeur du Christ et s’être rendus illustres par des miracles, ils
quittèrent cette terre pour s’en aller au Seigneur. Comme la religion et la
vraie fraternité les avaient réunis dans un seul et même amour pendant leur
vie, ainsi, après leur mort, furent-ils ensevelis dans le même tombeau et
entourés de la même vénération parmi les peuples. Les souverains Pontifes
Clément XI et Benoît XIII confirmèrent de leur autorité suprême le culte qui
leur était constamment rendu depuis plusieurs siècles. Léon XIII ayant approuvé
les miracles que Dieu avait opérés par leur intercession, après que, déclarés
Vénérables, il eut été permis de les invoquer en commun, les inscrivit au
catalogue des Saints dans la cinquantième année de son sacerdoce et régla qu’à
l’avenir, un Office et une Messe seraient célébrés chaque année en leur honneur
dans l’Église universelle.
A LAUDES
Capitule. I Petr. 4, 13.
Mes bien-aimés, participant aux souffrances du Christ, réjouissez-vous, afin
qu’à la révélation de sa gloire vous vous réjouissiez aussi, transportés
d’allégresse.
Hymnus
Sic patres vitam péragunt
in umbra,
Lília ut septem nívei
decóris,
Vírgini excélsæ bene
grata, Petro
Visa nitére.
Iamque divína rapiénte
flamma,
Cúrsitant urbes, loca
quæque obérrant,
Si queant cunctis ánimis
dolóres,
Fígere Matris.
Hinc valent iras domuísse
cæcas,
Néscia et pacis fera
corda iungunt,
Erigunt mæstos, révocant
nocéntes
Dicta piórum.
At suos Virgo comitáta
Servos
Evehit tandem súperas ad
oras ;
Gémmeis sertis decórat
per ævum
Omne beátos.
Eia nunc cœtus gémitum
precántis
Audiant, duros vídeant
labóres :
Semper et nostris fáveant
benígno
Lúmine votis
Hymne
Ces Pères vénérables
poursuivent leur vie dans l’obscurité ; Pierre les voit briller comme sept lis
resplendissant de l’éclat de la neige, et bien chers à la Vierge très sainte.
Une divine flamme les
dévore, ils parcourent les villes et les campagnes, ils voudraient imprimer
dans tous les cœurs la pensée des douleurs de leur Mère.
Ils ont le pouvoir de
dominer les haines aveugles, et la parole de ces hommes saints unit dans le
pardon et la paix les cœurs les plus farouches, console les affligés, convertit
les pécheurs.
Mais la Vierge qui
n’abandonne pas ses serviteurs les conduit enfin au rivage céleste et orne pour
toujours leur front bienheureux de couronnes de pierres précieuses.
Et maintenant, qu’ils
prêtent l’oreille aux gémissements du peuple qui les prie, qu’ils voient nos
pénibles travaux, et que, du sein de la céleste lumière, ils soient toujours
favorables à nos vœux.
Honneur soit toujours au
Père et au Fils qu’il engendre, et à l’Esprit égal à t’un et à l’autre :
honneur au seul Dieu dans tous les siècles. Amen.
V/. Que leur mémoire soit
en bénédiction.
R/. Et que leurs os
refleurissent en sortant de leur lieu.
Ant. au Bénédictus Voyez
qu’il est bon * et qu’il est agréable que des frères habitent ensemble.
AUX DEUXIÈMES VÊPRES.
Hymnus
Matris sub almæ númine
Septéna proles náscitur :
Ipsa vocánte, ad árduum
Tendit Senári vérticem.
Quos terra fructus próferet
Dum sacra proles
gérminat,
Uvis repénte túrgidis
Onústa vitis præmonet.
Virtúte claros nóbili
Mors sancta cælo
cónsecrat :
Tenent olympi límina
Servi fidéles Vírginis.
Cohors beáta, Núminis
Regno potíta, réspice
Quos hinc recédens
fráudibus
Cinctos relínquis
hóstium.
Ergo, per almæ vúlnera
Matris rogámus súpplices,
Mentis ténebras dísiice,
Cordis procéllas
cómprime.
Hymne
Sous la protection de
notre Mère bénie, naît une famille de sept Serviteurs de Dieu ; à son appel,
ils gravissent les sommets escarpés du mont Sénar.
Une vigne tout à coup
chargée de raisins magnifiques annonce, heureux présage, les fruits que
produira cette terre, où germe une moisson de saints.
Une sainte mort consacre
jour les cieux la gloire de leur vertu. Les fidèles serviteurs de la Vierge
habitent les demeures éternelles.
O troupe bienheureuse,
qui régnez avec Dieu, abaissez vos regards sur tous ceux qu’en quittant ce
monde, vous laissez au milieu des embûches de leurs ennemis.
Au nom des douleurs de
notre Mère bénie, nous vous en supplions, dissipez les ténèbres de nos esprits,
apaisez les tempêtes qui agitent nos cœurs.
O bienheureuse Trinité,
remplissez-nous d’une sainte vigueur, afin que nous puissions, pour notre
bonheur éternel, suivre les exemples de nos saints Pères. Amen.
Ant. au Magnificat Leur
nom * demeure éternellement, la gloire des hommes saints demeure sur leurs
fils.
Dom Guéranger, l’Année
Liturgique
Le ciel de l’Église
s’assombrit. Tout nous annonce déjà les jours où l’Emmanuel apparaîtra dans
l’état lamentable où l’auront mis nos crimes. Bethléhem appelait-elle donc si
tôt le Calvaire ! Au pied de la Croix comme en Ephrata, nous retrouverons la
Mère de la divine grâce ; alors Marie enfantera dans ses larmes les frères du
premier-né dont la naissance fut toute de douceur. Comme nous avons goûté ses
joies, nous saurons avec elle pleurer et souffrir.
Prenons modèle des
bienheureux honorés en ce jour. Leur vie se consuma dans la contemplation des
souffrances de Notre-Dame ; l’Ordre qu’ils établirent eut pour mission de
propager le culte de ces inénarrables douleurs. C’était le temps où saint
François d’Assise venait d’arborer comme à nouveau sur un monde refroidi le
signe du divin Crucifié ; dans cette reprise de l’œuvre du salut, pas plus
qu’au Vendredi de la grande semaine, Jésus ne pouvait se montrer à la terre
sans Marie : les Servîtes complétèrent par ce côté l’œuvre du patriarche des
Mineurs ; l’humanité désemparée retrouva confiance en méditant sur la passion
du Fils et la compassion de la Mère.
Quelle place occupent
dans l’économie de la rédemption les douleurs de la Vierge très sainte, c’est
ce que doivent nous dire en leur temps deux fêtes diverses appelées à en
consacrer le mystère. Les complaisances de la souveraine des cieux pour l’Ordre
qui s’en fit l’apôtre, apparurent dans la multiple effusion de sainteté dont
son origine fut marquée. L’épanouissement simultané des sept lis que les Anges
cueillent aujourd’hui sur terre offre un spectacle inusité au ciel Pierre de
Vérone en eut la vision, au temps où leurs tiges implantaient sur la cime du
Senario leurs racines fécondes ; et le futur Martyr vit la Vierge bénie sourire
à la montagne d’où d’autres fleurs sans nombre, nées à l’entour, envoyaient
aussi leurs parfums sur l’Église. Jamais Florence, la ville des fleurs, n’avait
encore à ce point fructifié pour Dieu. Aussi l’enfer, qui à l’heure même multipliait
ses entreprises sur la noble cité, ne put prévaloir contre Marie dans ses murs.
Les fêtes de Julienne Falconiéri, de Philippe Benizi, qui précédèrent au Cycle
sacré celle de ce jour, nous ramèneront à ces pensées. Mais dès maintenant,
unissons notre gratitude à celle de l’Église pour la famille religieuse des
Servites ; le monde lui doit d’avoir avancé dans la connaissance et l’amour de
la Mère de Dieu, devenue notre mère au prix de souffrances que nul autre
enfantement ne connut.
Le récit consacré par
l’Église à la mémoire des saints fondateurs nous dira leurs mérites, et les
bénédictions dont leur fidélité à Marie fut récompensée. Le 11 février, choisi
d’abord pour la célébration de leur commune fête, ne rappelle la mort d’aucun
des sept bienheureux ; mais c’est à pareil jour qu’en 1304, après des
vicissitudes infinies, l’Ordre sorti d’eux obtint l’approbation définitive de
l’Église.
Comme vous avez fait des
douleurs de Marie vos propres douleurs, elle partage avec vous maintenant ses
joies éternelles. Cependant la vigne dont les grappes, mûrissant avant l’heure,
présageaient votre fécondité sur une terre glacée, exhale encore ses suaves
parfums dans le séjour de notre exil. Le peuple fidèle apprécie grandement les
fruits qu’elle produit toujours ; depuis longtemps il honorait, à titre de
rameaux du cep béni, les Philippe, les Julienne ; mais aujourd’hui ses hommages
remontent à la septuple racine d’où leur sève est tirée. Vous vous complûtes
dans l’obscurité où la Reine des Saints passa elle-même sa vie mortelle. Mais
en ce siècle où la gloire de Marie perce tous les nuages, il n’est point
d’ombre qui puisse soustraire plus longtemps les serviteurs à l’éclat dont
resplendit leur auguste Maîtresse.
Que vos bienfaits vous
manifestent toujours plus ! Ne cessez point de réchauffer le cœur du monde
vieilli au foyer où le vôtre puisa la vigueur d’amour qui le fit triompher du
siècle et s’immoler pour Dieu. Cœur de Marie, dont le glaive de douleur a fait
jaillir des flammes où les Séraphins alimenteront éternellement leurs feux,
soyez pour nous modèle, refuge et réconfort, en attendant le moment fortuné qui
terminera l’exil de cette terre des souffrances et des larmes.
_(43359710692).jpg)
Bhx Cardinal
Schuster, Liber Sacramentorum
Cette fête fut instituée
en 1888 par Léon XIII, qui avait, peu auparavant, inscrit solennellement au
catalogue des saints les noms des nobles florentins Bonfilio Monaldi,
Bonajuncta Manetti, Manetto d’Antelles, Amédée de Amideis, Uguccio Uguccioni,
Sosteneo de Sosteneis et Alexis Falconieri.
Au XIIIe siècle, tandis
que l’Italie était déchirée par les schismes et les luttes intestines, ces
illustres représentants du patriciat florentin s’étant retirés sur le mont
Senario, donnèrent naissance à un nouvel ordre religieux, tout appliqué à la
pénitence et à la contemplation des douleurs de Jésus crucifié et de sa divine
Mère.
La messe est de
composition récente, et bien que, ça et là, elle s’écarte des anciennes règles
liturgiques, elle révèle cependant le bon goût qui distinguait Léon XIII.
L’introït contient une allusion gracieuse à l’épisode miraculeux de ces petits
enfants, parmi lesquels était, dit-on, saint Philippe Beniti, et qui, ouvrant
pour la première fois leurs lèvres innocentes sur la place publique de
Florence, firent l’éloge des sept nobles saints, les saluant sous le nom,
demeuré dès lors dans l’usage commun, de Serviteurs de la bienheureuse Vierge
Marie.
La prière de ce jour
exprime à la fois le but de l’institut religieux des Servites et le fruit
spécial que nous devons demander à Dieu par leur intercession.
La lecture est du Livre
de l’Ecclésiastique (44, 1-15) et dans le Missel une partie de ce texte était
déjà affectée à la fête des martyrs Jean et Paul et à l’Octave des saints
Apôtres. Tout l’ensemble d’ailleurs s’adapte très bien aux saints fondateurs
des ordres religieux.
C’est un devoir pour les
fils de transmettre la mémoire des vertus de leurs Pères, pour que les
générations suivantes soient poussées à rivaliser de sainteté avec eux.
Maintenant leurs corps reposent dans la paix de la tombe, mais leur mission
n’est pas terminée ; car, tandis que l’Église chante leurs louanges, leur
descendance spirituelle — cette descendance à qui est promis l’avenir, parce
qu’elle est l’œuvre des saints — continue et achève leurs magnifiques
entreprises.
Évidemment, les
rédacteurs de cette Messe, au temps de Léon XIII, ne devaient pas connaître le
rôle du psaume responsorial qui, anciennement, suivait la première lecture, et
il leur a suffi de recueillir tant bien que mal quelques versets de l’Écriture
capables, d’une façon quelconque, de se rapporter au sanctuaire du Senario, où
se vénéraient les corps des sept saints, et aux Servites fondés par eux, pour
avoir, tout prêts, les antiennes et les répons nécessaires.
Le répons-graduel et le
verset alléluiatique semblent maintenant deux prières chantées presque
analogues et dont on ne comprend guère le but ni la distinction. Il n’en était
pas ainsi à l’origine. L’Antiphonaire Grégorien nous démontre même que leur
structure musicale est tout à fait diverse, parce que primitivement c’était
deux chants de psaume parfaitement distincts qui suivaient, le premier, la lecture
de l’Ancien Testament ; le second, celle de l’Apôtre.
L’Évangile est celui du
Commun des abbés, comme le 5 décembre, fête de saint Sabbas.
La montagne sainte à
laquelle il est fait allusion dans l’offertoire est le Senario, près de
Florence. Les holocaustes et les victimes dont parle le texte sacré sont les
prières et les austérités des sept saints Fondateurs, dont les corps reposent
maintenant en paix sous l’autel sacré, continuant ainsi leur immolation
mystique, unie à l’immolation eucharistique de Jésus.
La prière sur l’oblation
n’a pas cet exquis caractère classique qui distingue les antiques collectes des
sacramentaires romains. Elle est pieuse, mais sa rédaction est toute moderne,
sans solennité ni vigueur.
L’antienne pour la
communion est tirée d’un texte évangélique différent de celui qui a été lu à la
Messe de ce jour. Cela encore constitue une anomalie dont le rédacteur
liturgique moderne de l’office des sept Fondateurs ne s’est d’ailleurs
probablement pas rendu compte.
Notre fruit sera durable
si nous demeurons unis à l’arbre de vie éternelle qui est le Christ. Voilà le
secret de la facile activité des saints et de la réussite de leurs entreprises.
Dans la vie présente, les
noces de l’âme avec Dieu se contractent sur la Croix. C’est le lit nuptial du
Fils de Dieu, aussi ne peut-il y avoir de sainteté véritable si elle n’est
revêtue des sceaux du mont Calvaire.
scalinata di ingresso al convento di montesenario, chiesa, santuario di Montesenario, Vaglia, città metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana,
Dom Pius Parsch, le Guide
dans l’année liturgique
Voyez comme c’est
réjouissant quand des frères vivent pacifiquement ensemble.
Les Sept Saints
Fondateurs. — Un spectacle rare parmi les hommes : sept hommes de famille
distinguée quittent le monde et vivent ensemble dans la concorde fraternelle.
Il semble que ces sept corps sont animés par une seule âme : la même vertu et la
même piété les unit. Bien plus, ils sont restés unis après leur mort. Leurs
ossements qui reposent dans le même tombeau sont tellement mêlés ensemble qu’il
est impossible de les distinguer les uns des autres. Ils sont les fondateurs de
l’Ordre des Servites qui s’est donné la mission particulière de cultiver
l’esprit de pénitence et de s’adonner à la méditation de la Passion de
Notre-Seigneur et des sept douleurs de Marie. Conformément à son esprit
d’humilité, cet Ordre n’exerça pas d’action bruyante et sensationnelle, mais,
dans le domaine des missions intérieures, il a fait de grandes choses ; parmi
des millions d’hommes, il a réveillé et ranimé le culte de Notre-Dame des sept
Douleurs.
Le bréviaire raconte :
Dieu suscita, au milieu des rivalités de partis, sept hommes de la noblesse de
Florence. En l’an 1223, ils priaient un jour, avec grande ferveur, dans une
réunion. Alors apparut à chacun d’entre eux la Mère de Dieu, qui les exhorta à
mener une vie plus parfaite. Ils firent part de ceci à l’évêque de Florence.
Sans tenir compte de leur noblesse ou de leur richesse, ils mirent sous leurs
habits pauvres et usés, une ceinture de pénitence et se retirèrent, le 8
septembre, dans une petite maison de campagne, pour inaugurer une vie plus
sainte, le jour où la Mère de Dieu a commencé sa vie sainte. Peu de temps
après, ces sept hommes allaient de porte en porte, dans les rues de Florence,
pour demander l’aumône. Il arriva que soudain des voix d’enfants les
acclamèrent : Serviteurs de Sainte Marie. Parmi ces enfants se trouvait saint
Philippe Benitiqui venait d’entrer dans son cinquième mois. Ce nom crié par les
enfants, leur — resta dans la suite pour toujours. Plus tard, ils se retirèrent
dans la solitude, sur le Monte Scénario et s’y donnèrent pleinement à la
méditation et à la pénitence. Leur tombeau est sur le Monte Scénario. — Léon
XIII canonisa ces saints fondateurs et, en 1888, institua leur fête.
La messe (Justi). — Ce
formulaire de messe récent et propre n’observe pas toujours les anciennes
règles liturgiques, mais il trahit le goût classique de Léon XIII. Il reflète
la vie des sept saints. A l’Introït, nous entendons l’éloge commun des « justes
»et on nous rappelle, en même temps, que ce sont les enfants de Florence qui
leur ont donné leur nom. C’est pourquoi aussi, nous récitons le Ps. 8 dans
lequel il est dit : « De la bouche des enfants et des nourrissons tu t’es
procuré la louange. » Dans l’Oraison, l’Église se réjouit d’avoir été, par les
saints fondateurs, enrichie d’une nouvelle famille et elle indique en même
temps le but principal de l’Ordre : la méditation des sept douleurs de la
Sainte Vierge. La Leçon célèbre « les hommes glorieux et nos pères qui ont
accompli tant de grandes choses et nous ont laissé, à nous leurs descendants,
un magnifique exemple. » A l’Évangile, c’est le Seigneur lui-même qui leur
promet la récompense, parce qu’ils ont « tout quitté pour le suivre ». « La
récompense du centuple et la vie éternelle », ils en jouissent maintenant. A
l’Offertoire, nous voyons les saints sur le mont Scénario où ils offrent un
sacrifice agréable à Dieu. A la Communion, nous voyons mûrir les fruits dont la
semence a été jetée dans les fatigues et dans les larmes. Ces fruits, nous
pouvons les cueillir, nous aussi, dans la communion ; à la fin, nous demandons
de nous tenir comme les saints Fondateurs « avec Marie au pied de la Croix,
pour recueillir le fruit de la Rédemption ». Le bréviaire dit : « Un seul amour
de véritable fraternité et de vie religieuse commun les avait unis, un seul
tombeau les renferma quand ils furent morts, un seul culte populaire leur fut
décerné. C’est pourquoi les papes Clément XI et Benoît XIII confirmèrent le
culte qu’on leur avait rendu en commun au cours des siècles. »
SOURCE : http://www.introibo.fr/12-02-Les-Sept-Saints-Fondateurs
Stemma dell'Ordine, realizzato dalla sovrapposizione di "S" (Servi) e "M" (Maria). La corona è composta da sette gigli, che indicano i sette santi fondatori
Also
known as
Confraternity of Our Lady
Order of Servants of Mary
Servant Friars
The Seven Holy Founders
About
Named the fifth mendicant order
by Pope Martin V, it was
founded in 1233 by
Saint Bartholomew
degli Amidei
Saint Hugh
dei Lippi-Uguccioni
Saint John
Buonagiunta Monetti
On the Feast of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1240 the
Founders received a vision of Our Lady. She held in her
hand the black habit, and a nearby angel bore a scroll
reading Servants of Mary. Mary told them,
“You will found a new
order, and you will be my witnesses throughout the world. This is your name:
Servants of Mary. This is your rule: that of Saint Augustine.
And here is your distinctive sign: the black scapular, in memory of my
sufferings.”
From their first
establishment at La Camarzia, near Florence, Italy, they
removed to the more secluded Monte Senario where the Blessed Virgin herself
conferred on them their habit, instructing them to follow the Rule of Saint
Augustine and to admit associates. Official approval was obtained in 1249; confirmed
in 1256;
suppressed in 1276;
definitely approved in 1304; and again
by Brief in 1928.
The order was so rapidly diffused that by 1285 there
were 10,000 members with houses in Germany, France, Italy,
and Spain,
and early in the 14th century it
numbered 100 convents,
besides missions in Crete and India. The
Reformation reduced the order in Germany, but
it flourished elsewhere. Again meeting with political reverses in the
late 18th and
early 19th
centuries, it nevertheless prospered, being established in England in 1867, and in
America in 1870.
The Servites take solemn vows and venerate in a special manner the Seven
Dolors of Our Lady. They cultivate both the interior and the active life,
giving missions and teaching.
An affiliation,
professing exclusively the contemplative life is that of the Hermits of
Monte Senario. Reinstated in France, 1922.
Cloistered nuns,
forming a Second Order, have been affiliated with the Servites since 1619 when Blessed Benedicta
di Rossi called the nuns of
her community Servite Hermitesses. They have been established in England, Spain, Italy, the
Tyrol, and Germany.
A Third Order, the
Mantellate, founded by Saint Juliana Falconieri under Saint Philip Benizi,
c.1284, has
houses in Italy, France, Spain, England, Canada, and
the United
States. Secular tertiaries and
a confraternity of
the Seven Dolors are other branches.
1 December 1717 by Pope Clement XI
15 January 1888 by Pope Leo XIII
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Servants of Mary
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Order of Servites
New Catholic Dictionary
Saints
and Saintly Dominicans, by Blessed Hyacinthe-Marie
Cormier, O.P.
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
The
Fairest Flower of Paradise, by Cardinal Alexis-Henri-Marie
Lépicier, O.S.M.
The
Holy Founders of the Servite Order, by C. Kegan Paul
The
Servants of Mary, by A Servite Father
other
sites in english
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Dicastero delle Cause dei Santi
spletne
strani v slovenšcini
MLA
Citation
“Servites“. Congregations of the Faith. CatholicSaints.Info.
14 June 2023. Web. 16 June 2024. <https://catholicsaints.info/servites/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/servites/
ORDER OF
SERVITES (SERVANTS OF MARY).
The Order of Servites is
the fifth mendicant order, the objects of which are
the sanctification of its members, preaching the Gospel, and the
propagation of devotion
to the Mother of God, with special reference to hersorrows. In this article
we shall consider: (1) the foundation and history of the order; (2) devotions
and manner of life; (3) affiliated associations; (4) Servites of distinction.
Foundation and history
To the city
of Florence belongs the glory of giving to the Church the
seven youths who formed the nucleus of the order: Buonfiglio dei
Monaldi (Bonfilius), Giovanni di Buonagiunta (Bonajuncta), Bartolomeo degli Amidei(Amideus), Ricovero
dei Lippi-Ugguccioni (Hugh), Benedetto dell' Antella
(Manettus), Gherardino di Sostegno (Sosteneus),
and Alessio de' Falconieri (Alexius); they belonged to
seven patrician families of
that city, and had early formed a confraternity of laymen,
known as the Laudesi, or Praisers of Mary.
While engaged in the
exercises of the confraternity on the feast of
the Assumption, 1233, the Blessed Virginappeared to them, advised
them to withdraw from the world and devote themselves entirely
to eternal things. They obeyed, and established themselves close
to the convent of
the Friars
Minor at La Camarzia, a suburb ofFlorence. Desiring
stricter seclusion than that offered at La Camarzia, they
withdrew to Monte Senario, eleven miles north of Florence. Here
the Blessed Virgin again appeared to them, conferred on them a black habit,
instructed them to follow the Rule
of St. Augustine and to found the order of her servants (15 April,
1240). The brethren elected a superior, took the vows of obedience, chastity,
and poverty, and admitted associates.
In 1243, Peter
of Verona (St. Peter Martyr), Inquisitor-General of Italy,
recommended the new foundation to the pope,
but it was not until 13 March, 1249, that the first official approval of the
order was obtained fromCardinal Raniero Capocci, papal
legate in Tuscany.
About this time St. Bonfilius obtained permission to found the first
branch of the order at Cafaggio outside the walls of Florence.
Two years later (2 Oct., 1251) Innocent
IV appointed Cardinal Guglielmo Fieschi first protector of the order.
The next pope, Alexander
IV, favoured a plan for the amalgamation of all institutes following
the Rule
of St. Augustine. This was accomplished in March, 1256, and about the same
time a Rescript was
issued confirming the Order of the Servites as
a separate body with power to elect a general. Four years later
a general chapter was convened at which the order was divided into
two provinces, Tuscany and
Umbria, the former of which St. Manettus directed, while the latter was given
into the care of St. Sostene. Within five years two new provinces were added,
namely, Romagna and Lombardy.
After St. Philip Benizi was elected general (5 June,
1267) the order, which had long been the object of unjust attack
from jealous enemies, entered into the crisis of its existence.
The Second
Council of Lyons in 1274 put into execution the ordinance of
the Fourth
Lateran Council, forbidding thefoundation of new religious orders,
and absolutely suppressed all mendicant institutions
not yet approved by the Holy
See. The aggressors renewed their assaults, and in the year 1276 Innocent
V in a letter to St. Philipdeclared the order
suppressed. St. Philip proceeded to Rome,
but before his arrival there Innocent
V had died. His successor lived but five weeks.
Finally John
XXI, on the favourable opinion of three consistorial advocates,
decided that the order should continue as before. The former dangers reappeared
under Martin
V (1281), and though other popes continued
to favour the order, it was not definitively approved until Benedict
IX issued theBull,
"Dum levamus" (11 Feb., 1304). Of the seven founders, St.
Alexis alone lived to see their foundationraised to the dignity of an
order. He died in 1310.
We must here make mention
of St. Peregrine Laziosi (Latiosi), whose sanctity of life did
much towards increasing the repute of the Servite Order in Italy.
Born at Forli in
1265, the son of a Ghibelline leader,Peregrine,
in his youth, bitterly hated the Church.
He insulted and struck St. Philip Benizi, who, at the request
of Martin
V, had gone to preach peace to the Forlivese. Peregrine's
generous nature was immediately aroused by the mildness with
which St. Philip received the attack and he begged the saint's forgiveness.
In 1283 he was received into the order, and so great was his humility it
was only after much persuasion he consented to be ordained a priest.
He founded a monastery in
his native city, where he devoted all his energies to the restoration of peace.
His humility and
patience were so great that he was called by his people a second Job. He
died in 1345. His body remains incorrupt to the present day. He was canonized by Benedict
XIII in 1726, and his feast is
celebrated on 30 April.
One of the most
remarkable features of the new foundation was its wonderful growth.
Even in the thirteenth century there were houses of the order in Germany, France,
and Spain.
Early in the fourteenth century the order had more than one hundred convents including
branch houses in Hungary, Bohemia, Austria, Poland,
andBelgium;
there were also missions in Crete and India.
The disturbances during the Reformation caused the
loss of many Servite convents in Germany,
but in the South of France the
order met with much success. TheConvent of Santa
Maria in Via (1563) was the second house of the order established
in Rome; San
Marcello had been founded in 1369. Early in the eighteenth century the
order sustained losses and confiscations from which it has scarcely yet
recovered. The flourishing Province of Narbonne was almost
totally destroyed by the plague which swept Marseilles in
1720. In 1783 the Servites were
expelled from Prague and in 1785 Joseph
IIdesecrated the
shrine of Maria Waldrast. Ten monasteries were
suppressed in Spain in
1835. A new foundationwas made at Brussels in
1891, and at Rome the
College of St. Alexis was opened in 1895. At this period the order was
introduced into England and America chiefly
through the efforts of Fathers Bosio and Morini. The latter,
having gone to London (1864)
as director of the affiliated Sisters of Compassion, obtained
charge of aparish from Archbishop
Manning in 1867. His work prospered: besides St.
Mary's Priory at London, conventswere
opened at Bognor (1882) and Begbroke (1886). In
1870 Fathers Morini, Ventura, Giribaldi,
and BrotherJoseph Camera, at the request of Rt. Rev. Bishop Melcher
of Green
Bay, took up a mission in America, at Neenah, Wisconsin.
Father Morini founded at Chicago (1874)
the monastery of
Our Lady of Sorrows. A novitiatewas
opened at Granville, Wisconsin,
in 1892. The American province, formally established in 1908,
embracesconvents in
the dioceses of Chicago, St.
Louis, Milwaukee, Superior,
and Denver.
In 1910 the order numbered 700 members in 62 monasteries,
of which 36 were in Italy,
17 in Austria-Hungary,
4 in England,
4 in North America, 1 in Brussels.
Devotions: manner of life
In common with all religious orders
strictly so called, the Servites make solemn
profession of the three vows ofpoverty, chastity,
and obedience. The particular object of the order is to sanctify first its
own members, and then all men through devotion
to the Mother of God, especially in her desolation during
the Passion of herDivine
Son. The Servites give missions,
have the care of souls,
or teach in higher institutions of learning. TheRosary of
the Seven Dolours is one of their devotions, as is also the Via
Matris. The fasts of
the order areAdvent, Lent,
and the vigils of certain feasts. All offices in the order
are elective and continue for three years, except that of general and
assistant- generals which are for six years. The canonized Servite saints are: St.
Philip Benizi (feast 23 Aug.), St. Peregrine Latiosi (30
April), St.
Juliana Falconieri (19 June), and the SevenHoly Founders (12
Feb.).
Affiliated associations
Connected with the first
order of men are the cloistered nuns of
the second order, which originated withconverts of St.
Philip Benizi. These sisters have convents in Spain, Italy, England,
The Tyrol, and Germany.
TheMantellate, a third order of women founded
by St.
Juliana (see SERVANTS
OF MARY), have houses in Italy,France, Spain, England,
and Canada.
In the United
States they are to be found in the dioceses of Sioux
Cityand Belville. There is also a third order for seculars, as well as
a confraternity of the Seven Dolours, branches of which may be
erected in any church.
Servites of distinction
A few of the most
distinguished members are here grouped under the heading of that particular
subject to which they were especially devoted; the dates are
those of their death. Ten members have been canonizedand
several beatified.
Sacred Scripture
Angelus Torsani (1562?);
Felicianus Capitoni (1577), who wrote an explanation of all the passages
misinterpreted by Luther;
Jerome Quaini
(1583); Angelus Montursius (1600), commentary in 5
vols.; James Tavanti (1607), whose "Ager Dominicus" comprises 25
vols.; Julius Anthony Roboredo (1728).
Theology
Laurence Optimus (1380),
"Commentarium in Magistrum Sententiarum"; Ambrose Spiera (1454);
Marian Salvini
(1476); Jerome Amidei (1543); Laurence Mazzocchi (1560); Gherardus Baldi (1660),
who was styled by his contemporaries "eminens inter theologos";
Amideus Chiroli (1700?), celebrated for his "Lumina fidei
divinae";Julius Arrighetti (1705); Callixtus Lodigerius (1710);
Gerard Capassi (1737), who was by Benedict
XIV called the most learned man of his day; Mark Struggl
(1761); Caesar Sguanin (1769).
Canon law
Paul Attavanti (1499),
"Breviarium totius juris canonici"; Dominic Brancaccini (1689),
"De jure doctoratus"; PaulCanciani (1795?),
"Barbarorum leges antiquae"; Theodore Rupprecht,
eighteenth-century jurist; Bonfilius Mura(1882), prefect of the
Sapienza before 1870.
Philosophy and
mathematics
Urbanus
Averroista, commentator of Averroes; Andrew Zaini
(1423); Paul Albertini (1475), better known as
Paolo Veneto; Philip Mucagatta (1511); John Baptist
Drusiani (1656), the "Italian
Archimedes"; Benedict Canali(1745); Raymond Adami
(1792); Angelus Ventura (1738).
History and hagiography
James Philip Landrofilo
(1528); Octavian Bagatti (1566); Raphael
Maffei (1577); Archangelus Giani (1623);Philip Ferrari (1626);
Archangelus Garbi (1722); Placidus Bonfrizieri (1732); Joseph Damiani (1842); Austin M.
Morini (1910).
Fine arts
Alexander Mellino (1554),
choirmaster at the Vatican; Elias
Zoto, John Philip Dreyer (1772); Paul Bonfichi,
who received a pension from Napoleon
Bonaparte for his musical
compositions; Ambrose of Racconigi,
CorneliusCandidus, Jilis of Milan, Germanus Sardus,
poets; Arsenius Mascagni and Gabriel Mattei, painters; AngelusMontursius (1563), architect and sculptor,
among whose works are the Neptune of Messina,
the arm of Laocoonin the Vatican, and the Angels on
the Ponte Sant' Angelo.
Sources
Mon. ord. Serv. (Brussels,
1897); GIANI-GARBI, Annales ord. serv. (Lucca, 1725);
POCCIANTI, Chronicon ord. serv. (Florence, 1557); SPORR, Lebensbilder
aus den Serviten-Orden (Innsbruck, 1892); SOULIER, Storia dei sette
santi fondatori (Rome, 1888); IDEM, Vie de S. Philippe Benizi (Paris,
1886); LEPICIER, Sainte Julienne Falconieri (Brussels, 1907);
LEDOUX, Hist. des sept saints fondateurs (Paris, 1888);
DOURCHE, Roses et marguerites (Brussels, 1905).
Griffin, Patrick. "Order of Servites." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 17 Feb.
2016 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13736a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Herman F. Holbrook. There stood
by the cross of Jesus his Mother. John 19.25.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13736a.htm
Seven Founders of the
Order of Servites
These seven saints lived
in the thirteenth century. They were all from Florence, Italy. Each had a great
love for Mary, the Mother of God. They were active members of a confraternity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The way they came to be
founders of the Servite order is remarkable. On the feast of the Assumption,
while the seven men were deep in prayer, the Blessed Mother appeared to them.
She inspired them to leave the world and to live alone with God. After several
years of living as hermits, they went to their bishop. They asked him for a
rule of life to follow. The bishop encouraged them to pray and to ask for
guidance from Mary. Mary appeared to the men carrying a black habit. At her
side was an angel bearing a scroll with the words “Servants of Mary” written on
it. In this vision, the Blessed Mother said that she had chosen them to be her
servants. She asked them to wear a black habit. This was the habit they started
to wear in 1240. They also began to live their religious life according to the
rule of St. Augustine.
These wonderful men
helped each other love and serve God better. Six of them were ordained priests.
They were Bonfilius, Amadeus, Hugh, Sostenes, Manettus and Buonagiunta. The
seventh founder, Alexis, remained a wonderful religious until death. In his
humility, he chose not to be ordained to the priesthood.
Many young men came to
join these holy founders. They were known as Servants of Mary or Servites. The
Servite order was approved by the Vatican in 1259. The seven holy founders were
declared saints by Pope Leo XIII in 1888.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/order-of-servites/
Seven Founders of the
Order of Servites (RM)
XIIIth century; canonized in 1887 by Pope Leo XIII.
In 1233 seven wealthy
councilors of the city of Florence, who had previously joined the Laudesi
(Praisers), gave up the pleasures of this world in order to devote themselves
to God through particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their previous
lives had been by no means lax or undisciplined, even though Florence was then
a city filled with factions and immorality, and infected by the Cathar heresy
(the belief that the body was evil and we are the souls of angels inserted by
Satan into human bodies). Under the direction of James of Poggibonsi, who was
the chaplain of the Laudesi and a man of great holiness and spiritual insight,
they came to recognize the call to renunciation. On the Feast of the
Assumption, 1233, the seven had a single inspiration or vision to withdraw from
the world to form a new society within the Church devoted to prayer and
solitude.
Of course, there were
difficulties: Four of the men had been married, although two were widowers and
the other three celibate. Each of them made provision for their dependents, and
with the approval of their bishop withdrew from the world 23 days after the
Assumption. At first they lived just outside the city gates at La Camarzia,
humbly obeying the dictates of the bishop of Florence.
As their fame spread the
seven moved further away to the wilder hills around Monte Sennario, where they
built a church and a hermitage. For seven years they lived there, eating
little, fasting and praying and allowing no new recruits to their company. But
in 1240 Bishop Ardingo of Florence and Cardinal Castiglione visited them after
hearing about the sanctity of the seven. The cardinal was suitably impressed but
had one criticism, "You treat yourselves in a manner bordering on
barbarity: and you seem more desirous of dying to time than of living for
eternity. Take heed: the enemy of souls often hides himself under the
appearance of an angel of light. . . . Hearken to the counsels of your
superiors."
Bishop Ardingo went on to
explain a vision that they had had of a vine that blossomed with green leaves
and fruit in the middle of a cold March day. He told them that this was God's
way of leading them to branch out into the world. The prelates insisted that
the seven must welcome others who wished to follow so rigorous a life, and gave
them rules for their order based on Saint Augustine and the Dominican
Constitutions. They were to adopt the black habit of Augustinian monks and to
live as mendicant friars.
As always, the hermits
prayed for light, and again Our Lady appeared to them. On Good Friday, April
13, 1240, their mission was further defined in what they believed to be a
vision of the Blessed Virgin, who they understood to say, "You will found
a new order and you will be my witnesses throughout the world. This is your
name: Servants of Mary. This is your rule: that of Saint Augustine. And here is
your distinctive sign: The Black scapular, in memory of my sufferings."
She held in her hand the black habit, while an angel bore a scroll inscribed
with the title "Servants of Mary."
From that time they
became known as Servites (or 'the Servants of Mary') because they meditated
especially on the sorrows in the life of the mother of God. They were clothed
in the habit by their bishop, took new names in religion, and all except Saint
Alexis, who in his humility begged to be excused, were ordained as priests. So
many joined the Servites that new groups were set up in neighboring Tuscan
cities, such as Siena, Pistoia, Arezzo, Carfaggio, and Lucca. In 1250, to
commemorate the appearance of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, the seven founders
built the superb church of Santissima Annunziata in Florence, which is still
served by their order.
The Servites were
recognized in 1259 by the papal legate Raniero Cardinal Capocci and solemnly
approved by Blessed Benedict XI in 1304. It has since spread into many parts of
the world and continues to attract men and women, devoted to the Blessed Virgin.
Many of their houses are dedicated to the education of children and the care of
the poor and sick. The Servites fostered the devotion known as the Seven
Sorrows of Mary, a development of the late medieval devotion to Our Lady of
Pity, which offers a counterpart to the older one of the Seven Joys of Mary.
Of the seven founders,
four became priors-general, two founded monasteries in France and Germany, and
Alexis, who outlived the others, remained a lay brother his entire life. Short
biographies of the seven founders are given for today. Note that some accounts
give other names to the founders.
Alexis (Alessio)
Falconieri (Born c. 1200; died at Monte Sennario on February 17, 1310).
Son of Bernard Falconieri, a wealthy Florentine merchant and a Guelph, joined
the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin in Florence about 1225. They were all
ordained except Alexis, who felt he was not worthy enough to be a priest and
devoted himself to the material needs of the community and helped build the
Servite church at Cafaggio. He was the only one of the seven still alive when
the order was approved by Pope Benedict XI.
Bartholomew (Bartholomes,
Amadeus) degli Amidei. Amadeus governed the important convent of Carfaggio, but
returned to Monte Sennario to die.
Benedict (Manettus,
Manetius, Manetto) dell'Antella (Died August 20, 1268.) In 1246, he
attended the Council of Lyons. When the order was divided into two provinces in
1260, Manettus governed Tuscany. He later introduced the order into France at
the invitation of King Saint Louis. When Manettus became the fourth prior
general, he sent missionaries to Asia. He retired in deference to Saint Philip
Benizi, on whose breast he died.
Buonfiglio (Bonfilio)
Monaldi (Monaldo) (Died January 1, 1261.) Bonfilio, the eldest of the
seven, was the first superior of the Servites, serving until 1256
Gherardino (Gerardino,
Sostenes) Sostegni (Sostegno). While Manettus governed the Tuscan province
after 1260, Sostenes ruled that of Umbria. He later carried the order into
Germany.
John Buonagiunta
(Bonaiuncta). The youngest of the seven, Buonagiunta was elected in 1256 as the
second prior general of the Servites. Soon after his election he died in the
chapel while listening to the Gospel account of the Passion.
Ricovero (Hugh) dei
Lippi-Ugoccioni (Uguccione) (Died at Monte Sennario, Italy, May 3, 1282).
Hugh accompanied Saint Philip Benizi to France and Germany and was
vicar-general of the order in the latter for eight years. Hugh and Sosthenes
were recalled from foreign lands (France and Germany) in 1276, and died of
illness on the same night (Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia,
Farmer, Walsh).
I found the following
unattributed prayer for their intercession:
"Servants of Mary,
bless all laypeople on their spiritual journey. Help us look to Mary for
examples of faith, service, and humility. And help us to remember that God
calls us to love him in his children and our neighbors. Remind us that it is
more important to live for eternity than to die to time.
Amen."
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0217.shtml
HISTORY
ORIGINS
Before the Servites ever
existed as an official religious Order, seven prosperous men came together in
the city of Florence, Italy. As a reflection of the penitential spirit of the
times, it had been the custom of these men to meet regularly as members of a
religious society established in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. Eventually,
the seven left their comfortable homes, put aside their finery and went to live
together in a ramshackle building outside the city walls. The holiness and
penitential lifestyle of the seven quickly attracted attention and people
seeking prayers and spiritual direction became frequent visitors. To avoid
these distractions that they considered a hindrance to the contemplative life
they sought, the entire group moved to more peaceful surroundings, and
established a hermitage on the summit of a nearby mountain, Monte Senario,
sometimes known as the “sounding mountain.”
Coming to be known as the
“Friar Servants of Mary,” others joined the first seven on Monte Senario, and
as the group continued to grow, the seeds of the new religious Order took root.
The Friar Servants of Mary were approved as a religious Order by the bishop of
Florence sometime between the years 1240 and 1247. In the year 1304, the Order
of Friar Servants of Mary received definitive approval as a religious Order in
the Church by the Holy See.
Servite presence in the
United States dates from 1852 when Fr. Antoninus Grundner of the Tyrolese
Province began working among the German speaking Catholics first in New York City,
then in eastern Pennsylvania, and finally as pastor of St. Alphonsus Church in
Philadelphia. Fr. Grundner died in 1876 without having made a permanent
foundation, though some Austrian Servites continued to work with Italian
Servites in the Midwest. While attending the First Vatican Council in 1870,
Joseph Melcher, first bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin, invited Servites to work
in his diocese. That same year four Servites, under the guidance of Fr. Austin
M. Morini, took charge of St. Charles Church in Menasha, Wisconsin. In 1874,
Bishop Foley invited the Order to Chicago, and eventually, Chicago became the
center of Servite activity in the United States. The American Province was
established in 1909.
Today, we serve in nearly
all countries of North and South America. In addition, we are found in Europe,
Africa, Asia, and Australia. From a humble beginning we have been blessed with
a long and rich history. We still, like our Seven Founders, go where the needs
of God’s people demand that we go. And we still seek the perfection of the
Gospel way of life under the protection of Mary, the Mother and Servant of the
Lord.
SAINTS
Seven Holy Founders
Our seven Fathers were
born and grew up in the city of Florence. Drawn together by friendship and
devotion to the Blessed Virgin, they gave themselves to common prayer and works
of charity. Their desire to serve God eventually led them to leave their homes
and their businesses, and to form a community outside the city walls. About the
year 1245 they moved to Monte Senario where, for a time, they followed a life
of prayerful seclusion. As others came to join them, they laid the foundations
for the Servite Order, whose members would be committed to the service of the
Lord and others. They promised to follow Christ and witness his gospel; they
took the Blessed Virgin as their Lady; and they lived communal life according
to the Rule of St. Augustine. Pope Leo XIII canonized them as the Seven
Founders of the Servite Order in 1888.
St. Peregrine
In 1283, St. Philip
Benizi, prior general of the Friar Servants of Mary, attempted to lead back to
obedience to the Apostolic See, the citizens of Forli, then under interdict. He
was driven out of the city with insults and violence. While he was praying for
his persecutors, one of the crowd, an eighteen year old by the name of
Peregrine, repented his striking of Philip and asked him for forgiveness.
Philip received him with love. A few years later, guided by Our Lady, he
received the Servite habit in the priory of Siena where he dedicated himself to
her service.
Peregrine returned to his
native Forli and passed his life as a friar in prayer, in devotion to Our Lady,
in penance, and in helping the poor. Struck with a cancerous sore on his leg,
he was miraculously healed while in prayer before an image of the crucified
Christ. Because of this, his intercession is sought with great faith by the
sick, especially by those with incurable illnesses. In St. Peregrine, the
Servites see realized their ideals of service, prayer, devotion to Our Lady,
and love of others, especially the poor. Peregrine was canonized in 1726.
St. Clelia Barbieri
St. Clelia Barbieri was
born February 13, 1847 near Bologna, Italy. Her early years were passed in
great poverty. In 1868, together with three companions, she founded a community
to care for abandoned girls and to provide for their education. She died at the
age of twenty-three on July 13, 1870. From the small group she founded was born
the religious family of the Minims of the Sorrowful Virgin. She was canonized
by Pope John Paul II in 1989. Her feastday is July 13th.
St. Juliana Falconieri
St. Juliana Falconieri,
of Florence, was attracted by the holy lives of the first Friars of the
Servite Order. She consecrated her life to God, devoting her time to prayer and
works of penance and charity. She is properly considered among those women who,
while continuing to live in their own homes, adopted a Servite way of life.
Juliana occupied a singular position among these women, so that the tradition
of the Order has considered her the foundress of the Servite Sisters. She is
noted for her devotion to the mother of the Lord and for her love of the
Eucharist. St. Juliana was canonized in 1737 and her feast celebrated on June
19th.
St. Philip Benizi
St. Philip Benizi was
born in Florence, Italy in the thirteenth century. He entered the Servite Order
and was subsequently ordained a priest. In 1267, he was elected prior general
and remained in office almost until his death. He served with wisdom, developed
excellent laws, and fought to keep the Order from being suppressed. Recognized
for his holiness, he attracted many to enter religious life and follow his
example of Gospel values and the service of Mary. Because of his strong
influence, he has been considered a “father of the Order.” He died in 1285 and
was canonized in 1671. His feast is celebrated on August 23rd.
St. Anthony Pucci
St. Anthony Pucci was
born in 1819 at Poggiole, Italy. He entered the Servite Order at the age of
eighteen. After his ordination to the priesthood he was sent to Viareggio where
he was soon made pastor, an office he held for forty-five years, until his
death. He gave himself totally to the service of God and Our Lady, and with
loving care he was a father to all his parishioners, especially the needy. He
died January 12, 1892 and was canonized in 1962. His feast is celebrated
January 12th.
BLESSED
BLESSED JAMES THE
ALMSGIVER – January 15
Blessed James was born in
Citta della Pieve, in central Italy, about 1270. Trained in law, he became a
defender of the poor and oppressed. At his own expense he restored a church and
hospice outside the gate of Vecciano, where he cared for the poor and sick with
great love. When in 1304 James defended the rights of the poor he incurred the
hatred of a powerful man who then had him killed. The townspeople gave him the
title of “Almsgiver,” and in 1806, he was beatified by Pope Pius VII.
BLESSED JOACHIM OF SIENA
– February 3
Joachim was born about
1258 in Siena. At the age of thirteen he was received into the Servite Order by
Saint Philip Benizi. He lived in the communities of Siena and Arezzo and there
he gave an admirable example of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, humility
and charity. He loved others so much that when he was unable to console an
epileptic with words he asked for and obtained from God that he might take the
sickness upon himself. He died in 1305.
BLESSED ELIZABETH
PICENARDI – February 19
Elizabeth was born around
1428, probably in Cremona, Italy. From her childhood, however, she lived near
the Servite Church of St. Barnabas in Mantua and there became associated with
the friars of the Order. She received the Servite habit and was distinguished
for her chastity as well as her love for the Eucharist and Mother of God. She
died in 1468.
BLESSED BENINCASA – May
11
Benincasa was born around 1375, probably in Montepulciano, Italy. He entered the Servite Order as a youth and lived a life of solitude and penance. He died about 1426 and his body is at present venerated in the parish church of St. Leonard in Monticchiello. Pope Pius VIII approved devotion to him in 1829.
BLESSED FRANCIS OF SIENA – May 12
Francis was born in Siena
in 1266. Because of his love for the Blessed Virgin he entered the Order of
Servants of Mary when he was twenty-two years old, and shortly after was
ordained to the priesthood. He was noted for his charity, his preaching, and
his good judgment in counseling those who came to him. He died in 1328 and his
body is venerated in the Basilica of St. Mary of the Servants in Siena.
Benedict XIV approved devotion to him in 1743.
BLESSED JAMES PHILIP
BERTONI – May 30
James Philip was born in
1454 in Celle di Monte Chiaro in the diocese of Faenza, Italy. Because of a vow
of his parents, he was associated with the Order at the age of nine. He was
noted for his spirit of prayer and penance as well as his love for the
Scriptures and the works of the Fathers of the Church. Ordained a priest, his
celebration of the sacraments demonstrated his deep spirituality and love for
the liturgy. He died in 1483. His body rests in the cathedral of Faenza.
Clement XIII approved devotion to him in 1761.
BLESSED THOMAS OF ORVIETO
– June 27
Thomas of Orvieto was
drawn to enter the Servite Order by his great love of Our Lady and his desire
to reach heaven. Because of his humility he asked to be admitted among the lay
brothers. Often he was given the task of going from house to house seeking
alms. Artistic representations of Blessed Thomas picture him carrying a
knapsack with a fig branch in his hand, offering in the middle of winter, a
bunch of figs to a pregnant woman who desired them. It seems that the artists
wanted to depict both the solicitude of this man of God toward those who had
recourse to him as well as the power of his intercession with God which was
expressed by miracles.
BLESSED FERDINAND MARIA
BACCILIERI – July 1
Ferdinand Maria
Baccilieri was born on May 14, 1821 in the duchy of Modena, Italy. He felt
called to the priesthood and in 1838 he entered the Jesuits. For reasons of
health he left the Jesuits and in 1844 was ordained into the diocesan
priesthood at Ferrara. From 1844 to 1851 he was a teacher and spiritual
director at the minor seminary, while at the same time obtaining a doctorate in
civil and canon law at the University of Bologna. In 1851 he was sent to
Galeazza in the diocese of Bologna, where he remained as pastor until his death
in 1893. Having known the Servites in Bologna, he now promoted devotion to the
Sorrows of Mary in Galeazza and founded both the Confraternity of Our Lady of
Sorrows and the Servite Third Order, which he himself joined. In 1862 he
founded a congregation of Servite Sisters for the teaching of catechism, the
education of poor girls, the care of the sick, and help for those in need. This
congregation has spread from Italy to Germany, Brazil, Korea and the Czech
Republic. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1999.
BLESSED UBALD OF BORGO
SANSEPOLCRO – July 4
Ubald was born at Borgo
Sansepolcro around the middle of the thirteenth century. He entered the Order
of Servants and was ordained a priest. As a Servite friar he was noted for the
holiness of his life and works. He was a close friend of St. Philip. It is said
that when Philip was dying Ubald came to his friend’s bedside; Philip regained
consciousness for a moment and then died in Ubald’s arms. Ubald died at Monte
Senario in 1315. Pope Pius VII approved the devotion to him in 1821.
BLESSED ANDREW OF BORGO
SANSEPOLCRO – August 31
Andrew was inspired by a
sermon of St. Philip Benizi and so asked to receive the habit of the Servants
and St. Mary in 1278 in the house of the Order in the city of Borgo
Sansepolcro. He withdrew immediately to a hermitage near Borgo to live a life
of penance and solitude. Both by his counsel and his works, he drew many other
hermits to the Order of Servants. Blessed Andrew was their moderator. He died
in 1315 while he was at prayer. Pope Pius VII in 1806 confirmed the veneration
which had been paid to him.
BLESSED JOAN OF FLORENCE
– September 1
Joan was born in
Florence. She lived during the first century of the Order. When she received
the habit of the Third Order of the Servants, she pledged herself to the Virgin
Mary. She lived a life of chastity and penance. Several ancient images
represent Joan as one of the more distinguished blessed of the Order. Pope Leo
XII confirmed the devotion to her in 1828.
BLESSED MARY MAGDALENE
STARACE – September 5
Born on September 5,
1845, in Castellamare di Stabia, the former Constanze Starace was dedicated to
the Sorrowful Mother shortly after her birth.She became a tertiary of the
Servants of Mary in 1867. She taught catechism and directed the Daughters of
Mary, an association of young women desiring to lead a devout life in the
world. Four of these women also professed vows as tertiary Servants of Mary,
and they formed a small community. Several outbreaks of cholera lead her to
form the Compassionist Sisters in 1869. In 1893, the Compassionist Sisters were
formally joined to the Order of Servants of Mary. St. Mary Magdalene of the
Passion died of pneumonia on December 13, 1921. She was beatified on April 15,
2007.
BLESSED BONAVENTURE OF
FORLI – September 6
Bonaventure was born at
Forli about 1410. He entered of the Order of Servants and became a Master of
Theology. In his preaching he was noted for his courage and his wisdom. He held
many positions within the Order and was known for his prudence. He lived a life
of penance, loved solitude and fostered the regular observance. He died at
Udine in 1491. Pope Pius X approved the devotion to Bonaventure in 1911.
BLESSED MARIA GUADALUPE
RICART OLMOS – October 3
Maria Guadalupe was born
in Albal, Valencia, Spain on February 23, 1881. Early in life she expressed the
desire to dedicate herself entirely to God. In 1896 she was received as a
postulant in the convent of contemplative Servite nuns in Valencia. She
pronounced her perpetual vows on June 19, 1900. In the convent she held various
offices including that of mistress of novices and prioress. Her life was marked
by simplicity and fidelity, by her concern to pass on to younger members of the
community the values proper to the contemplative life. When the nuns were
forced to leave their convent in 1936 because of the Spanish Civil War, she
found refuge with some relatives and later in the home of her sister Filomena.
At midnight on October 2, 1936, she was taken by four armed soldiers in a truck
and eventually killed simply because she was a nun. At first she was buried in
a common grave, but in 1940, after the end of the Civil War, her remains were
transferred to the convent cemetery. When a new convent was built in Mislata,
the remains were taken and placed beside the main altar. She was beatified by
Pope John Paul II on March 11, 2001.
BLESSED JOHN ANGELO PORRO
– October 25
John Angelo Porro was
born in the duchy of Milan in the year 1451. After he had received the habit in
the Order of Servants of Mary, he lived for a time in the priory of St. Mary,
Milan, and later was sent to the priory in Florence. Later still, he withdrew
to Monte Senario so that he might give his whole life to penance and
contemplation. After living at Monte Senario for almost twenty years he
returned to Milan where he engaged in the careful preparation of young children
in Christian doctrine. He died on October 23, 1505. Pope Clement XII beatified
John Angelo in 1737.
BLESSED JEROME OF SANT’
ANGELO IN VADO – December 10
Jerome was born in Sant’Angelo in Vado, Italy, at the beginning of the fifteenth century. While still a youth, he entered the Servite monastery in his native town, and after completing his studies he served there as a priest. Jerome is best known for his love of silence and solitude, his spirit of prayer, and his ability as a spiritual director. He died about 1468.
BLESSED BONAVENTURE OF PISTOIA – December 15
Bonaventure was born in
Pistoia, Italy, about 1250. Inspired to lead a holy life by the example of St.
Philip, he entered the Servite Order and was ordained a priest. As prior of
various monasteries, he showed great understanding and wisdom in directing
their affairs. While he was prior in Montepulciano he received the profession
of St. Agnes, a young woman of that town, and helped her found a convent for
nuns. He died in Orvieto about 1315. His body is venerated in the Servite
church of Santissima Annunziata in Pistoia.
SOURCE : https://servite.org/about/history/
Chiesa
dei Sette Santi Fondatori,facciata,Livorno
Profiled
Members
Blessed
Benincasa of Montepulciano
Blessed
Buenaventura Bonaccorsi
Blessed
María Francisca Ricart Olmos
Blessed
Thomas Corsini of Orvieto
Saint
Bartholomew degli Amidei
Saint Hugh
dei Lippi-Uguccioni
Venerable
Giacinta Gertrude Maurizi
Additional
Information
New
Catholic Dictionary: Servites
MLA
Citation
“Members of the
Servites“. CatholicSaints.Info. 4 November 2019. Web. 14 June 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/members-of-the-servites/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/members-of-the-servites/
.jpg)
Agostino
Masucci, Madonna e i sette santi fondatori dell'Ordine servita, 1727
Агостино Мазуччи, Богоматерь и семь святых основателей ордена сервитов, 1727
Santi Sette Fondatori dell'Ordine dei Servi della Beata Vergine Maria
- Memoria
Facoltativa
sec. XIII-XIV
Intorno al 1233, mentre
Firenze era sconvolta da lotte fratricide, sette mercanti, membri di una
compagnia laica di fedeli devoti della beata Vergine, legati tra loro dell'ideale
evangelico della comunione fraterna e del servizio ai poveri, decisero di
ritirarsi per far vita comune nella penitenza e nella contemplazione. Lasciate
attività, case e beni ai poveri, verso il 1245 si ritirarono sul Monte Senario,
nei pressi di Firenze, dove costruirono una piccola dimora e un oratorio
dedicato a santa Maria. Molti si rivolgevano a loro per risolvere dubbi e
angosce, tanto che essi decisero di dare inizio ad un Ordine dedicato alla
Vergine, di cui si dissero Servi - l'Ordine dei Servi di Maria -, adottando la
Regola di sant'Agostino. Nel 1888 Leone XIII canonizzò i sette primi Padri,
sepolti, insieme, a Monte Senario. Si tratta di San Bonfiglio, guida del gruppo
laico e poi priore della nascente comunità. San Bonagiunta, priore tra il 1256
e il 1257. San Manetto, artefice delle prime fondazioni in Francia.
Sant'Amadio, anima del gruppo. San Sostegno e Sant'Uguccione, amici tra loro.
Sant'Alessio, zio di santa Giuliana. (Avvenire) La loro memoria al tempo
fu fissata al 12 febbraio, in quello che ad oggi è il calendario della forma
extraordinaria del rito romano. Con la riforma del Calendario Romano Generale,
a seguito del Concilio Vaticano II, la loro memoria è stata posta al 17
febbraio, giorno anniversario della morte di Sant'Alessio Falconieri.
Martirologio
Romano: Santi sette fondatori dell’Ordine dei Servi di Maria: Bonfilio,
Bartolomeo, Giovanni, Benedetto, Gerardino, Ricovero e Alessio. Prima mercanti
a Firenze, di comune accordo, sul monte Senario, si consegnarono nelle mani
della beata Maria, istituendo l’Ordine sotto la regola di sant’Agostino.
Vengono commemorati insieme nel giorno in cui si tramanda che Alessio, il più
longevo, sia morto centenario.
99086 - Bonfiglio Monaldi
99087 - Bonagiunta Manetti
99088 - Manetto dell’Antella
99089 - Amadio Amidei
99090 - Sostegno Sostegni
99091 - Uguccione Uguccioni
99092 - Alessio
Falconieri
Ritiro dalla città
XIII secolo, Firenze. Sette mercanti, membri di una compagnia laica di fedeli devoti della beata Vergine (la “Compagnia di Servi di Santa Maria” o “Laudesi”) decidono di ritirarsi nella penitenza, nella contemplazione e nel servizio a Maria. Una scelta certamente influenzata anche dai due grandi ordini mendicanti del tempo, Francescani e Domenicani, nonché dall’esperienza dei monaci Camaldolesi, Vallombrosani e Cluniacensi, già presenti in quelle terre, e di gruppi penitenziali come quelli di S. Agostino e del Monte Carmelo, o dei fratelli e sorelle laiche della Penitenza. Erano Bonfiglio, guida del gruppo laico e priore della futura comunità, Bonagiunta, futuro priore tra il 1256 e il 1257, Manetto, artefice delle prime fondazioni in Francia, Amadio, anima del gruppo, Sostegno e Uguccione, amici tra loro, e infine Alessio.
Intorno al 1233 i sette abbandonano dunque le loro attività commerciali,
lasciano le proprie case e distribuiscono i beni ai poveri, mentre Firenze è
sempre più sconvolta da guerre fratricide.
Tuniche e mantelli grigi
E’ l’8 settembre 1233 quando i sette cominciano a fare vita comune a Villa
Camarzia, alla periferia della città: Iacopo da Poggibonsi, cappellano dei
Laudesi e loro direttore spirituale impone a ciascuno l’abito dei “Fratelli
della Penitenza”, un mantello e una tunica di lana grezza di colore grigio. La
giornata della piccola comunità si svolge tra preghiera, lavoro e questua per
le vie della città. La loro vita è ritirata, austera e solitaria, ma molte
persone turbate e angosciate si rivolgono a loro, ricevendo sempre consolazione
e consiglio; soprattutto i più sono colpiti dal fatto che, ricchi mercanti
quali erano, i sette si siano ridotti volontariamente in povertà. Questo
incoraggia il diffondersi della fama della loro santità e molte persone
iniziano a chiedere di entrare a far parte della loro famiglia.
Nascita dell’Ordine
Proprio le insistenti e numerose richieste li inducono a dare inizio ad un Ordine espressamente dedicato alla Vergine, di cui si dicono Servi – l’Ordine dei Servi di Maria. Il vescovo Ardingo Foraboschi dona loro nel 1234 un terreno sulla sommità del Monte Senario, a circa 18 km da Firenze. Le celle sono all’inizio semplici capanne separate una dall’altra; sui ruderi di un antico castello sorge presto una chiesetta intitolata alla Madonna e nel 1239, dopo la visita del Legato Pontificio, il cardinale Goffredo Castiglioni (futuro papa Celestino IV) assegna loro la Regola di Sant’Agostino.
Spesso, dopo lunghe uscite per la questua, si fermano a Firenze presso
l’oratorio di Santa Maria di Cafaggio di cui ampliano presto l’annesso ospizio
cominciando ad accogliervi coloro che chiedono di far parte della comunità.
Tante vocazioni
Ben presto i sette ricevono il permesso di aprire altri conventi, anche fuori della Toscana, perché le vocazioni affluiscono numerose. L’Ordine rischia però la soppressione quando il concilio di Lione, nel 1247, decreta a soppressione degli Ordini Mendicanti. Ma Filippo Benizi, accolto ventunenne nell’ordine e futuro Priore Generale, ottiene di nuovo il riconoscimento pontificio. L’approvazione definitiva arriva nel 1304 ad opera di Benedetto XI.
Soltanto Alessio Falconieri, ultimo superstite dei sette, può rallegrarsene. Morirà il 17 febbraio 1310, a quasi 110 anni di età. Sua nipote, Giuliana Falconieri, pure santa, sarà la fondatrice delle Mantellate.
Nel 1888 Leone XIII canonizza insieme i sette padri. A Monte Senario un unico
sepolcro raccoglie le loro spoglie.
Fonte: www.vaticannews.va
Sono sette i fondatori dell’Ordine dei Servi di Maria, ma sui loro nomi si andò creando col tempo qualche confusione, che contribuì a ritardarne notevolmente la canonizzazione. Comunque, quando Leone XIII il 15 gennaio 1888, approvando i quattro miracoli che si ritenevano ottenuti per la loro collettiva intercessione, iscrisse i sette nell’albo dei Santi, elencandoli così: Bonfiglio dei Monaldi, Bonagiunta Manetti, Manetto dell’Antella, Amideo degli Amidei, Uguccio degli Uguccioni, Sostegno dei Sostegni e Alessio dei Falconieri. Si concludeva così la lunga serie di processi canonici iniziata nel 1667, poco dopo la canonizzazione del quinto priore generale dell’Ordine, Filippo Benizi; ma c’è da dire che già nel 1717 era stato confermato il culto del beato Alessio Falconieri e nel 1725 quello dei suoi sei compagni.
La loro storia comincia ad opera di un gruppo di penitenti laici fiorentini, di professione mercanti, che verso il 1230 si erano inseriti in un’associazione laicale, la “Compagnia di Servi di Santa Maria” o “Laudesi”, affidandosi alla Vergine con un particolare atto di ossequio e abbracciando, come tanti uomini religiosi di quel tempo, un genere di vita penitenziale che li impegnava alla ritiratezza, alla preghiera e al servizio dei più poveri ed emarginati. Una scelta, la loro, fatta anche sotto l’influsso dei due grandi ordini mendicanti – Francescani e Domenicani – allora in piena espansione, nonché dei monaci Camaldolesi,Vallombrosani e Cluniacensi, già presenti in quelle terre, e di gruppi penitenziali come quelli di S. Agostino e del Monte Carmelo, o dei fratelli e sorelle laiche della Penitenza. Gli impegni comuni favorirono il consolidarsi tra loro di un’amicizia che li spinse presto ad appartarsi fuori città, alla ricerca comunitaria di Dio accentuando la vita penitente, frequentando santuari ed eremi in cui dedicarsi più liberamente alla contemplazione e, dopo aver assicurato una sistemazione economica che garantisse il necessario ai propri familiari, utilizzando il resto dei loro beni per aiutare i bisognosi e vivere in povertà rompendo ogni legame col mondo.
L’8 settembre 1233 i sette cominciarono a fare vita comune a Villa Camarzia, alla periferia di Firenze e il loro direttore spirituale, il sacerdote Iacopo da Poggibonsi, che era cappellano dei Laudesi, impose a ciascuno l’abito dei “Fratelli della Penitenza”, un mantello e una tunica di lana grezza di colore grigio, nominando il più anziano di loro, Bonfiglio Monaldi, superiore della piccola comunità che alternava la giornata tra la preghiera, il lavoro e la questua per le vie della città. Li caratterizzò anche, come afferma la loro principale fonte storica - la Legenda de origine ordinis fratrum Servorum - un atto di consacrazione alla «Regina del cielo, la gloriosa Vergine Maria perché essa, quale mediatrice e avvocata, li riconciliasse con il Figlio, a lui li raccomandasse e, supplendo con la sua abbondantissima carità la loro imperfezione, misericordiosamente impetrasse loro fecondità di meriti. In conseguenza di questo, a onore di Dio, sottomettendosi al servizio della Vergine Maria, vollero ormai essere chiamati servi di santa Maria».
Quanti li conoscevano, vedendoli come, da ricchi che erano, si fossero ridotti volontariamente in povertà, ne furono colpiti e molta gente cominciò a rivolgersi a loro chiedendo consigli e preghiere; ma poiché ciò disturbava il desiderio di solitudine e di raccoglimento del gruppo, il vescovo Ardingo Foraboschi, che conosceva le loro aspirazioni, nel 1234 donò ad essi un terreno di proprietà vescovile sulla sommità del Monte Senario, a circa 18 km dalla città, perché vi si stabilissero. Accanto alle loro celle, semplici capanne separate una dall’altra, essi fecero costruire sui ruderi di un antico castello una chiesetta intitolata alla Madonna e nel 1239, dopo la visita del Legato Pontificio, il cardinale Goffredo Castiglioni (futuro papa Celestino IV), fu data loro la regola di S. Agostino. Dovendo però provvedere al proprio mantenimento mediante la questua, gli eremiti del Senario si resero conto che non potevano restare segregati per sempre dal resto della società, e allora per edificare il prossimo si impegnarono anche nell’apostolato della parola scendendo i città e quando alla sera non facevano in tempo a rientrare sul monte, si fermavano presso l’oratorio di Santa Maria di Cafaggio, che in precedenza era servito dai Frati Minori. Più tardi vi ampliarono l’annesso ospizio e cominciarono ad accogliervi quanti chiedevano di far parte della loro comunità, per formarli e prepararli, per espresso desiderio del vescovo, al sacerdozio una volta emessa la professione religiosa. Alessio Falconieri volle restare semplice converso, rinunciando al sacerdozio per dedicarsi alla questua e al servizio dei fratelli.
A Bonfiglio fu data facoltà di aprire altri conventi, anche fuori della Toscana, dal momento che le vocazioni affluivano numerose e la comunità accentuò il carattere cenobitico e apostolico. Nel 1250 la chiesetta di Cafaggio venne ampliata e dedicata alla SS. Annunziata (nella metà del ‘400 sarà ricostruita da Michelozzo) e il convento diventò la casa generalizia dell’Ordine. Bonfiglio vi accolse il ventunenne Filippo Benizi, che si era laureato alle università di Parigi e di Padova, e che sarebbe stato il quinto Priore Generale, venendo poi canonizzato nel 1667. L’Ordine rischiò la soppressione quando, nel 1247, il concilio di Lione decretò la soppressione degli Ordini Mendicanti. Fu il Benizi che, forte dei pareri positivi espressi dai giuristi del tempo, ottenne di nuovo il riconoscimento pontificio. L’approvazione definitiva arrivò poi nel 1304 ad opera di Benedetto XI: soltanto Alessio Falconieri, ultimo superstite dei sette fondatori morti tutti a Monte Senario, poté assistervi. Nonostante le dure penitenze praticate (portò sempre la tonaca sulla nuda carne con cilici, si flagellava ogni notte e per molti anni digiunò a pane ed acqua) egli morì il 17 febbraio 1310, a quasi 110 anni di età. Poco prima del transito, gli era apparso Gesù bambino contornato da angeli sotto forma di uccelli bianchissimi, mettendogli sul capo una corona di fiori. A lui si deve anche l’ascesa spirituale della nipote, santa Giuliana Falconieri, fondatrice delle Mantellate.
In occasione del VII centenario della nascita dell’Ordine, nel 1933, ossa e ceneri dei sette santi fondatori furono raccolte in un reliquiario e collocate in una nuova cappella nella chiesa di Monte Senario. L’Ordine dei Servi di Maria mantenne fede al particolare compito di propagare la devozione alla Vergine Addolorata con il Terz’Ordine, la Confraternita dei sette dolori di Maria, la corona della Via Crucis, la cura dei santuario e la pubblicazione di riviste mariane.
Tra i Serviti che negli
ultimi decenni si sono imposti per carisma ed efficacia di linguaggio
segnaliamo padre David Maria Turoldo, noto predicatore dotato di una
sorprendente vena poetica, considerato uno dei più rappresentativi esponenti di
un cattolicesimo più dinamicamente impegnato nella seconda metà del ‘900.
Fonte: Famiglia Cristiana
Intorno al 1233, mentre Firenze era sconvolta da lotte fratricide, sette mercanti, membri di una compagnia laica di fedeli devoti della beata Vergine, legati tra loro dell’ideale evangelico della comunione fraterna e del servizio ai poveri, decisero di ritirarsi in solitudine per far vita comune nella penitenza e nella contemplazione. Abbandonata l’attività commerciale, lasciarono le proprie case e distribuirono i beni ai poveri. Verso il 1245 si ritirarono sul Monte Senario, nei pressi di Firenze, dove costruirono una piccola dimora e un oratorio dedicato a santa Maria. Conducevano vita austera e solitaria, non ricusando tuttavia l’incontro con le persone che, spinte dal dubbio e dall’angoscia, cercavano il conforto della loro parola.
Diffondendosi sempre più la fama della loro santità, molti chiedevano di far parte della loro famiglia. Pertanto essi decisero did are inizio ad un Ordine dedicato alla Vergine, di cui si dissero Servi - l’Ordine dei Servi di Maria -, adottando la Regola di sant’Agostino.
Nel 1888 Leone XIII canonizzò insieme i sette primi Padri. A Monte Senario un
unico sepolcro raccoglie insieme le spoglie mortali di coloro che la comunione
di vita aveva resi un cuor solo e un’anima sola.
SAN BONFIGLIO
Padre e guida del gruppo laico e poi Priore della nascente comunità dei Servi di Maria.
Viene raffigurato con la colomba bianca che si posa
sulla sua spalla destra, per indicare quei doni dello Spirito Santo di cui
ciascuno dei Sette era adornato, maggiormente manifestato in lui per il suo
carisma di Padre del primo gruppo e della comunità poi. Morì, secondo la
tradizione, il 1° gennaio 1262.
SAN BONAGIUNTA
Uomo austero verso se stesso, ma dolce, amabile e comprensivo verso il
prossimo. Anch’egli ricoprì la carica di Priore Generale tra il 1256 e il 1257.
Per la sua tenacia difesa della verità e della giustizia, cercarono di
avvelenarlo, ma fu liberato da Dio. Morì il 31 agosto 1267.
SAN MANETTO
Anch’egli Priore Generale, fu uomo di grandi capacità organizzative e
direttive, tanto che si attribuiscono a lui le prime fondazioni in terra di
Francia. Fu lui ad accogliere Arrigo di Baldovino, primo di quella schiera di
laici che si aggregò all’Ordine dei Servi. La tradizione pone il giorno della
sua morte il 20 agosto 1268.
SANT’AMADIO
Possiamo dire che nel gruppo dei Sette egli era come la fiamma che dava calore
a tutti con la sua grande carità che si alimentava dell’amore di Dio. Il suo
nome, Ama-Dio, fu un vero presagio, segno della ricchezza della sua vita
spirituale e di carità. Morì il 18 aprile 1266.
SAN SOSTEGNO E SANT’UGUCCIONE
Di questi due Santi si ricorda in particolare la loro amicizia, tanto che l’iconografia li rappresenta insieme, e la morte, avvenuta per ambedue lo stesso giorno e anno ( 3 maggio 1282) è come un segno e un sigillo di autenticità del cielo alla loro fraternità.
Nel gruppo dei Sette, essi rimangono dunque come simbolo di fraternità vissuta
in comunione di vita e di intenti, ma anche come segno specifico di amicizia
che, se vera e gratuita, da Dio è ispirata e reciprocamente aiuta a salire a
Dio.
SANT’ALESSIO
Della famiglia dei Falconieri, zio di Santa Giuliana, esempio fulgido di umiltà
e purezza. La sua vita fu una continua lode a Dio. Amava andare per la questua,
impegnandosi specialmente a sostenere i suoi frati mandati a studiare alla
Sorbona di Parigi. È morto all’età di 110 anni il 17 febbraio 1310.
PREGHIERA
A voi veniamo, nostri Padri antichi,
come figli, discepoli, amici,
per apprendere da voi, immagini vive di Cristo,
come si ami Dio sopra ogni cosa
e per i fratelli si spenda la vita;
come il perdono vinca l’offesa
e con il bene si ricambi il male;
come al bisognoso si tenda la mano,
dell’afflitto si lenisca la pena,
il cuore si apra all’amico;
come insieme ricostruisca la casa,
e nella dimora paterna si viva,
un cuor solo e un’anima sola.
Ci accompagni, Padri nostri,
il vostro esempio di comunione fraterna
e di servizio a santa Maria,
e ci sostenga la vostra intercessione
e la materna protezione di Nostra Signora,
oggi e in ogni tempo della nostra vita. Amen.
Autore: Massimo Cuofano, OSSM
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/26150
Ordine dei Servi di Maria, in latino Ordo
Servorum Beatae Virginis Mariae
Stemma
dell'Ordine, realizzato dalla sovrapposizione di "S" (Servi) e
"M" (Maria). La corona è composta da sette gigli, che indicano i
Sette Santi Fondatori.
Sette Santi Fondatori
(XIII-XIV sec.)
BEATIFICAZIONE:
- 01 dicembre 1717
- Papa Clemente XI
CANONIZZAZIONE:
- 15 gennaio 1888
- Papa Leone XIII
- Basilica Vaticana
RICORRENZA:
- 17 febbraio
Furono i primi padri
fondatori dell'Ordine dei Servi di Maria (OSM): Bonfilio, Bartolomeo, Giovanni,
Benedetto, Gerardino, Ricovero e Alessio. Prima mercanti a Firenze, di comune
accordo, sul monte Senario, si consegnarono nelle mani della beata Maria,
istituendo l’Ordine sotto la regola di sant’Agostino. Vengono commemorati
insieme nel giorno in cui si tramanda che Alessio, il più longevo, sia morto
centenario
XIII secolo, Firenze.
Sette mercanti, membri di una compagnia laica di fedeli devoti della beata
Vergine (la “Compagnia di Servi di Santa Maria” o “Laudesi”) decidono di
ritirarsi nella penitenza, nella contemplazione e nel servizio a Maria.
Una scelta certamente
influenzata anche dai due grandi ordini mendicanti del tempo, Francescani e
Domenicani, nonché dall’esperienza dei monaci Camaldolesi, Vallombrosani e
Cluniacensi, già presenti in quelle terre, e di gruppi penitenziali come quelli
di S. Agostino e del Monte Carmelo, o dei fratelli e sorelle laiche della
Penitenza.
Erano Bonfiglio,
guida del gruppo laico e priore della futura comunità, Bonagiunta, futuro
priore tra il 1256 e il 1257, Manetto, artefice delle prime fondazioni in
Francia, Amadio, anima del gruppo, Sostegno e Uguccione,
amici tra loro, e infine Alessio.
Intorno al 1233 i sette
abbandonano dunque le loro attività commerciali, lasciano le proprie case e
distribuiscono i beni ai poveri, mentre Firenze è sempre più sconvolta da
guerre fratricide.
È l’8 settembre 1233
quando i sette cominciano a fare vita comune a Villa Camarzia, alla periferia
della città: Iacopo da Poggibonsi, cappellano dei Laudesi e loro direttore
spirituale impone a ciascuno l’abito dei “Fratelli della Penitenza”, un
mantello e una tunica di lana grezza di colore grigio. La giornata della
piccola comunità si svolge tra preghiera, lavoro e questua per le vie della
città. La loro vita è ritirata, austera e solitaria, ma molte persone turbate e
angosciate si rivolgono a loro, ricevendo sempre consolazione e consiglio;
soprattutto i più sono colpiti dal fatto che, ricchi mercanti quali erano, i
sette si siano ridotti volontariamente in povertà. Questo incoraggia il
diffondersi della fama della loro santità e molte persone iniziano a chiedere
di entrare a far parte della loro famiglia.
Proprio le insistenti e
numerose richieste li inducono a dare inizio ad un Ordine espressamente
dedicato alla Vergine, di cui si dicono Servi – l’Ordine dei Servi di Maria. Il
vescovo Ardingo Foraboschi dona loro nel 1234 un terreno sulla sommità
del Monte Senario, a circa 18 km da Firenze. Le celle sono all’inizio semplici
capanne separate una dall’altra; sui ruderi di un antico castello sorge presto
una chiesetta intitolata alla Madonna e nel 1239, dopo la visita del Legato
Pontificio, il cardinale Goffredo Castiglioni (futuro papa Celestino IV)
assegna loro la Regola di Sant’Agostino.
Spesso, dopo lunghe
uscite per la questua, si fermano a Firenze presso l’oratorio di Santa Maria di
Cafaggio di cui ampliano presto l’annesso ospizio cominciando ad accogliervi
coloro che chiedono di far parte della comunità.
Ben presto i sette
ricevono il permesso di aprire altri conventi, anche fuori della Toscana,
perché le vocazioni affluiscono numerose. L’Ordine rischia però la soppressione
quando il concilio di Lione, nel 1247, decreta a soppressione degli Ordini
Mendicanti. Ma Filippo Benizi, accolto ventunenne nell’ordine e futuro Priore
Generale, ottiene di nuovo il riconoscimento pontificio. L’approvazione
definitiva arriva nel 1304 ad opera di Benedetto XI.
Soltanto Alessio
Falconieri, ultimo superstite dei sette, può rallegrarsene. Morirà il 17
febbraio 1310, a quasi 110 anni di età. Sua nipote, Giuliana Falconieri, pure
santa, sarà la fondatrice delle Mantellate.
Nel 1888 Leone XIII
canonizza insieme i sette padri. A Monte Senario un unico sepolcro raccoglie le
loro spoglie. Tra i Serviti degli ultimi anni, ricordiamo padre David Maria
Turoldo, noto predicatore e poeta.
SOURCE : https://www.causesanti.va/it/santi-e-beati/sette-santi-fondatori.html
Voir aussi : http://www.servitesdemarie.org/fr_1049_index.php
