Servite Order
Marian devotional society | |
Headquarters | Santissima Annunziata Basilica, Florence, Italy |
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Website | servidimaria.net |
The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (
History
Foundation
The order was founded in 1233 by
The members of the order dedicated themselves to Mary under her title of Mother of Sorrows (Italian: Madonna Addolorata).[4] Dedicating their devotion to the mother of Jesus, they adopted Mary's virtues of hospitality and compassion as the order's hallmarks.[5] The distinctive spirit of the order is the sanctification of its members by meditation on the Passion of Jesus and the Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, and spreading abroad this devotion.[6]
The
Pope Alexander IV favored a plan for the amalgamation of all orders which followed the Rule of St. Augustine. This was accomplished in March 1256, but about the same time a rescript was issued confirming the Servite Order 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 being governed by Manettus and the latter by Sostene. Within five years two new provinces were added, that of Romagna and that of Lombardy.[8]
Centuries of growth
On 30 January 1398 Pope Boniface IX granted the Servites the power to confer theological degrees. It was in harmony with the tradition thus established that many centuries later the order established the Marianum faculty in Rome.[9]
The new foundation enjoyed considerable growth in the following decades. Already in the thirteenth century there were houses of the order in Germany, France, and Spain. By the early years of the fourteenth century the order had more than one hundred houses in locations including Hungary, Bohemia, Austria, Poland, and what later became Belgium. In subsequent periods came missions in Crete, the Philippines (St. Peregrine-Philippine Vicariate), and India.[6]
European contraction
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The disturbances which arose during the
After the seizure of Rome under the Italian
New expansion
After a gap of 25 years, in 1895 the house of studies in Rome was re-founded as the College of Sant Alessio Falcioneri. This development went hand in hand at this period with other initiatives and a new foundation was made at Brussels in 1891 and the order was introduced into England and United States, chiefly through the efforts of the Servite priests Bosio and Morini. The latter, having gone to London in 1864 as director of the affiliated Congregation of the Sisters of Compassion, obtained charge of a parish from Archbishop Manning in 1867. The work prospered and besides St. Mary's Priory in London, convents were opened at Bognor Regis (1882) and Begbroke (1886). In 1870 Morini, Ventura, Giribaldi, and Joseph Camera, at the request of Bishop Joseph Melcher of Green Bay, Wisconsin, took up a mission in America, at Neenah. Morini founded at Chicago (1874) the monastery of Our Lady of Sorrows. A novitiate was opened at Granville, Wisconsin in 1892 and an American province was formally established in 1908.[11]
Twentieth century
The order continued to expand geographically throughout the twentieth century, taking responsibility for missions in
Pope Pius XII, through the Congregation of Seminaries and Universities, elevated the Marianum to a pontifical theological faculty on 30 November 1950.
After the Second Vatican Council, the order renewed its Constitutions starting with its 1968 general chapter at Majadahonda, Madrid, a process which was concluded in 1987. In the same year, Prior General Michael M. Sincerny oversaw the creation of the International Union of the Servite Family (UNIFAS).[14]
The twentieth century also saw the beatification (1952) and the canonization of Friar Antonio Maria Pucci; the canonization of Clelia Barbieri (d. 1870), foundress of the Minime dell’Addolorata; the beatification in 1999 of Ferdinando Maria Baccilieri of the Servite Secular Order; the beatification in 2001 of Maria Guadalupe Ricart Olmos, a Spanish cloistered nun who was martyred during the Spanish Civil War; and the beatification of Cecelia Eusepi of the Servite Secular Order.
Through the centuries, the Servite Order has spread throughout the world, including all of Europe, parts of Africa, Australia, the Americas, India, and the Philippines. The general headquarters of the Servite Order is in Rome, while many provinces and motherhouses represent the order throughout the world.
Twenty-first century
Allegations of sexual assault on children by members of the Servite order surfaced in several jurisdictions in court filings, accompanied by demands for more transparency.[15][16] [17]
Devotions, manner of life
In common with all religious orders strictly so called, the Servites make
All offices in the order are elective and continue for three years, except that of
The Servites give missions, have the care of souls, or teach in higher institutions of learning. The Rosary of the Seven Dolors is one of their devotions, as is also the Via Matris.[18]
Affiliated bodies
Second Order
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Connected with the first order of men are the
Mantellate Sisters
The Mantellate Sisters are a third order of religious women founded by Juliana Falconieri, to whom Benizi gave the habit in 1284. From Italy it spread into other countries of Europe. Anna Juliana, Archduchess of Austria, founded several houses and became a Mantellate herself.[20]
In 1844 the congregation was introduced into France, and from there extended into England in 1850. The sisters were the first to wear the religious habit publicly in that country after the
Servite Secular Order
The Secular Order of the Servants of Mary (Servite Secular Order) is an approved Catholic organization of lay men and women plus diocesan priests living their Christian faith in the context of the world. They strive toward holiness according to the spirituality of the Servite Order, following the directives of their Rule of Life. Secular Servites are asked to do the following each day: live the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love; pray and try to read Sacred Scripture each day, and/or the Liturgy of the Hours; and practice acts of reverence for the Mother of God daily, especially by praying the Servite prayer "The Vigil of Our Lady" and/or the Servite Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
There is also a confraternity of the Seven Dolours, branches of which may be erected in any church.
Mariology and the Marianum
The pontifical theological faculty Marianum which is now one of the leading centers of Mariology was established by the Servite Order in accord with its tradition of many centuries. In 1398 Pope Boniface IX granted the order the right to confer theological degrees. Suppressed by the Kingdom of Italy in 1870, it was reopened in 1895 under the name of Sant'Alessio Falconeri.
In 1939 the Servite priest Gabriel Roschini founded the journal Marianum and directed it for its first thirty years, establishing it as a respected international specialist journal which is still successfully published by the Marianum theological faculty.
In 1950 Roschini was also instrumental in the reorganization of the Servite house of studies in Rome as the Marianum theological faculty, which, on 8 December 1955 became a pontifical faculty in virtue of the decree Coelesti Honorandae Reginae of the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities under the authority of Pope Pius XII.[22] Its particular speciality is the study of the theology and history of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of her veneration in the church.
Canonized saints
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Ten Servites have been canonized by the Catholic Church and several beatified.
- Amadeus of the Amidei, one of the seven founders, was canonized in January 1888 by Pope Leo XIII.
- Buonfiglio dei Monaldi (Bonfilius)
- Hugh dei Lippi Uggucioni
- Philip Benizi de Damiani, prior general, was canonized on 12 April 1671 by Pope Clement X.[23]
- Peregrine Laziosi, was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726.[8]
- Antonio Maria Pucci[24]
- Joachim Piccolomini
- Francis of Siena
- James Philip Bertoni
- Thomas of Orvieto
Other notable Servites
Several of the most distinguished Servites are here grouped under the heading of that particular subject to which they were especially devoted; the dates are those of their death.
- Sacred scripture: Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (1600), commentary in five volumes.
- Theology: Gabriel Roschini (1924).
- History and hagiography: Philip Ferrari(1626).
- Painters: Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (Angelus Montursius) (1563), architect and sculptor, among whose works are the Neptune of Messina, the arm of Laocoon in the Vatican, and the Angels on the Ponte Sant'Angelo.
- Healing: International Compassion Ministry: Peter Mary Rookey (2014), Canticle Of Love and Miracle Prayer.
Institutions and schools
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- Collège Servite, Ayer's Cliff, Quebec, Canada
- Our Lady's Catholic High School, Stamford Hill, London, United Kingdom
- Servite College, Perth, Australia
- Servite High School, Anaheim, California, United States
- Seven Holy Founders Elementary School, St. Louis, Missouri, United States[25]
- Marianum College, Tunasan, Muntinlupa, Philippines
Gallery of Servite churches
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Santa Maria dei Servi, Bologna, Italy
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Chiesa dei Servi, Venice, Italy
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San Carlo al Corso (Milan), Italy
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Basilica Santuario della Beata Vergine delle Grazie, Udine, Italy
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Santissima Annunziata Basilica, Florence, the mother church of the Servite Order
See also
- Annunciade
- Servites of the Immaculate Conception
References
- ISBN 978-0-87840-399-8.
- ISBN 978-1-136-78716-4.
- ISBN 978-0-87840-399-8.
- ^ a b c "The Servites", The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother
- ^ "West Side basilica celebrates Servite order's 775th anniversary". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ a b c d "Servants of Mary (Order of Servites)." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "The Servite Order". website.lineone.net. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ a b Griffin, Patrick. "Order of Servites." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "The Marianum Pontifical Theological Faculty". Archived from the original on 24 January 2009.
- ^ "Ente | DIOCESI DI ROMA".
- ^ "History", Friar Servants of Mary, USA
- ^ Christopher M. Ross OSM (12 January 2001), Servites in Australia - Part One (PDF), retrieved 25 October 2014
- ^ Of Dreams and Realities, A history of the origins and development of Servite College (1958-1983). p. 1.
- ^ a b "A Brief History of the Servite Order: From the Canonization of the Holy Founders 1888 to 2000". Archived from the original on 2007-12-05.
- ^ "New allegations of sexual abuse against a Servite High School priest surface in court". Los Angeles Times. 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ "Priest who worked in Eastern Townships suspended after sex allegations". cbc.ca/news/.
- ^ "Chicago-based Catholic order is keeping secrets about child-molesting clergy around the United States". Chicago Sun-Times. 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
The Servites has had numerous priests and brothers accused of sexual abuse and faces an onslaught of new lawsuits. Unlike many dioceses and orders, the group has no public list of members deemed to have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. And other church lists are incomplete.
- The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows. 2016. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
- ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), pp. 88 and 117
- ^ "Anna Juliana". Heiligen.net (in Dutch).
- ^ Pires, Sheila. "Education, Healthcare 'our biggest achievements'", ACI Africa, 20 February, 2022
- ^ Annuario Pontificio 2005, p. 1905
- ^ "Lives of the Saints, For Every Day of the Year," edited by Hugo Hoever, New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1952, p.332
- ISBN 978-2-88011-194-6.
- ^ "Seven Holy Founders School Profile | Saint Louis, Missouri (MO)". www.privateschoolreview.com. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Servants of Mary (Order of Servites)". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.