Our Sorrowful Mother

Our Sorrowful Mother Mary, also known as Our Lady of Sorrows, holds a special place in the hearts of the Servite Order. Her life is a profound testament to compassion and unwavering faith amid suffering. Mary experienced deep sorrow throughout her life, from the Annunciation to witnessing the crucifixion of her Son, Jesus Christ. This intense suffering has made her a universal symbol of empathy and maternal love. 

 

The charism of the Servite Order, which emphasizes compassion, community, and service, finds its embodiment in Mary’s example. Servites draw inspiration from her ability to embrace sorrow and offer it to God, demonstrating a path of love and mercy. Her example encourages us to support each other in trials, fostering a spirit of compassion that aligns with our mission to serve those in need. In prayer, we often turn to Mary, asking for her intercession as we strive to live out our commitment to serve, just as she did throughout her life.

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Our Seven Holy Founders

The Seven Holy Founders were seven Florentine laymen—wealthy merchants and civic leaders—who, in 1233, responded together to a call from the Blessed Virgin Mary to abandon worldly life and live entirely for God. United in fraternity, prayer, penance, and Marian devotion, they withdrew to Monte Senario outside Florence, where they embraced poverty and contemplation. Their way of life gradually took form as the Order of the Servants of Mary, rooted in service to Mary, especially under her title Our Lady of Sorrows, and grounded in humility, silence, and communal charity.

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What makes the Seven Holy Founders unique in Church history is that they were canonized together, not for individual achievements, but for their shared fidelity to Mary and to one another. Their charism established the heart of Servite spirituality: standing with Mary at the foot of the Cross, uniting suffering to Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Their witness remains the living foundation of the Servite vocation today—religious and secular alike—calling souls to Marian servitude, fraternal life, penance, and contemplative union with Christ through the Sorrows of His Mother.

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St. Alexis Falconieri

St. Alexis Falconieri, born in 1200 in Florence, Italy, was one of the seven founders of the Servite Order (Servants of Mary). He lived a life characterized by deep prayer, profound humility, and a commitment to service, reflecting the core values of the Servite charism. Alexis and his companions were inspired by their devotion to the Sorrowful Mother and sought to create a community dedicated to prayer and service, particularly to those suffering from physical and spiritual needs.

 

As a founding member, St. Alexis emphasized the importance of living in accordance with the teachings of Christ and serving the poor and marginalized. His life is a model of living out the charism of the Servites by leading through example—devoting his life to both contemplative prayer and active engagement in the community. St. Alexis serves as a reminder to all Servites of the power of humility and the call to serve others with love and dedication, urging us to become true instruments of God’s grace in the world.

 

St. Juliana Falconieri

St. Juliana was born, in answer to prayer, A.D. 1270. Her father built the splendid church of the Annunziata in Florence, while her uncle, Blessed Alexius, became one of the founders of the Servite Order. Under his care, Juliana grew up, as he said, more like an angel than a human being. Such was her modesty that she never used a mirror or gazed upon the face of a man during her whole life. The mere mention of sin made her shudder and tremble, and once hearing a scandal related she fell into a dead swoon.

 

Her devotion to the sorrows of our Lady drew her to the Servants of Mary; and, at the age of fourteen, she refused an offer of marriage, and received the habit from St. Philip Benizi himself. Her sanctity attracted many novices, for whose direction she was bidden to draw up a rule, and thus with reluctance she became foundress of the “Mantellate.” She was with her children as their servant rather than their mistress, while outside her convent she led a life of apostolic charity, converting sinners, reconciling enemies, and healing the sick by sucking with her own lips their ulcerous sores.

 

She was sometimes rapt for whole days in ecstasy, and her prayers saved the Servite Order when it was in danger of being suppressed. She was visited in her last hour by angels in the form of white doves, and Jesus Himself, as a beautiful child, crowned her with a garland of flowers. She wasted away through a disease of the stomach, which prevented her taking food She bore her silent agony with constant cheerfulness, grieving only for the privation of Holy Communion.

 

At last, when, in her seventieth year, she had sunk to the point of death, she begged to be allowed once more to see and adore the Blessed Sacrament. It was brought to her cell, and reverently laid on a corporal, which was placed over her heart. At this moment she expired, and the Sacred Host disappeared. After her death the form of the Host was found stamped upon her heart in the exact spot over which the Blessed Sacrament had been placed. Juliana died A.D. 1340.