Servants of Mary: the order founded by seven Florentine merchants
Servants of Mary, the order founded by seven Florentine merchants
The Servants of Mary (Ordo Servorum Mariae, OSM) are a mendicant religious order founded in Florence in 1233 by seven young merchants who left everything in order to consecrate themselves to Mary. For the full article: Servants of Mary.
The seven holy founders
The seven founders, Buonfiglio Monaldo, Alexis Falconieri, Benedetto dell’Antella, Bartholomew Amidei, Ricardo Uguccione, Gerardino Sostegni, and John of Buonagiunta, are canonized as the “Seven Holy Founders of the Servites.” On August 15, 1233, Mary is said to have appeared to them and asked them to found a new religious family centered on her Sorrows.
Spirituality of the sorrows
The specific charism of the Servites is the contemplation of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. The “Chaplet of the Sorrows,” composed of seven groups of seven Ave Marias, with meditation on the seven sorrows, is their characteristic devotion. The Stabat Mater was composed in the spiritual environment of the Servites.
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Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis a septem mercatoribus Florentinis anno 1233 fundatus est: ipsi, a Virgine Matre inspirati, se totos Mariae servitio dedicaverunt.
Paulus VI, Epistula ad Priorem Generalem OSM (11 februarii 1967)
📚 Literal translation: The Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded by seven Florentine merchants in the year 1233: they, inspired by the Virgin Mother, dedicated themselves entirely to the service of Mary.
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