The Seven Holy Founders: Lent and Living for Others
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weaknesses;
For we do not know how to pray as we ought,
But the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressive groanings.
—Romans 8:26
After the excitement of Valentine’s Day and celebrations of Carnival, the sobriety of Ash Wednesday can be quite a jolting beginning to our Lenten prayer and good works. Unfortunately, many of us miss out on irreplaceable opportunities for growth and enrichment because we focus too much of our attention on the “thou shalt nots” of Lent and overlook the fact that Lent is really intended to be a spiritual springtime. By thinking only of Lenten penances, we fail to see how our self-denial should be balanced with good works of prayer and charity.
As we make our final preparations for Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent, the Seven Founders of the Servite Order (who are honored with a common liturgical memorial on February 17) offer a fitting example of what our prayer, charity, and conversion might be as we celebrate Lent.
These seven saints founded the Order of the Servants of Mary around the middle of the thirteenth century. This order, of whom Saint Peregrine (the patron saint of those with cancer) is the best known, is a religious community that has much in common with the Franciscans and Dominicans. And although they are not well known in the United States, we owe them a special debt of thanks for working to spread devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows—certainly a title under which we can honor the Blessed Virgin during Lent.
The seven men honored as the “Holy Founders” are Buonfiglio Monaldi, Alexis Falconieri, Benedict dell’Antela, Bartholomew degli Amidei, Ricovero Uguccione, Geraldino Sostegni, and John Buonagiunta. All were wealthy businessmen of Florence, Italy, and four were married (two were widowers) and the remaining three had committed themselves to celibacy. Each of the men had joined a confraternity called the Laudesi and it was during a time of shared prayer on the Feast of the Assumption in 1233 that they were inspired by a vision of Mary to leave behind their wealth and positions and to dedicate themselves to prayer. Those with families made arrangements for their care and together they eventually settled in the wilderness near Monte Sennario.
When the bishop of Florence visited them sometime later, he criticized the small community for their harsh way of life and he encouraged them to take care of their bodies, noting that “the enemy of souls often hides himself under the appearance of an angel of light.” The brothers obeyed and prayed for guidance as they discerned the future of their community. According to tradition, as the seven were praying about their future and the future of the community that had created, they had another vision of Mary carrying a black religious habit, accompanied by an angel bearing a scroll that bore the words “Servants of Mary.” They adopted this as the name of their new community and began to live according to the ancient Rule of Saint Augustine. At the same time, they began to accept new members and the order grew rapidly. Leaving behind the eremitical aspects of their life, they came to resemble the way of life and ministry of orders like the Dominicans and Franciscans. The Servites received official papal recognition in 1304.
The holy founders died over the course of several decades (the last died in 1310) and they were canonized together in 1888.
In many ways, the story of the Seven Founders of the Servites is not all that different from the stories of the founders and foundresses of other religious orders. Responding to grace and the needs of the world around them, these saints set out on a new way of life, pioneers of prayer and ministry. In time, experience, guidance, and prayer helped them establish a way of life and a mission that would work for the good of the entire Church, rather than for a select few of their members. And this is where the lesson is for each of us: whether we are a priest or deacon, religious sister or brother, or a committed married or single person, the Christian life is a gradually unfolding process of discernment and prayer that, by God’s grace, will lead us down paths that we might never have chosen for ourselves. This journey of faith is one that we walk with Christ and for Christ.
There are times, as the Seven Holy Founders discovered, when our zeal and energy need to be tempered so that we are able to become truly free to live the lives God has chosen for us, rather than according to our own plans and preferences. And here, we discover an important lesson for the Season of Lent…
How many times have you begun your Lenten observance with great intentions to pray more and to take on some kind of special penance, only to discover that life seemed to have other plans for you?
Despite our best intentions on Ash Wednesday, we can find ourselves beginning to slip in our resolve.
Looking back on those times, we will usually discover that this happens because our attention is focused on ourselves, and not on others… much like the early life and prayer of the Holy Founders of the Servites. It is only when we can begin to live for others—a truly worthy goal for any of us during Lent—that we have any hope of growing into the people of charity and prayer that God calls us to be.
In his Message for Lent for 2024, Pope Francis has reminded us:
It is time to act, and in Lent, to act also means to pause. To pause in prayer, in order to receive the word of God, to pause like the Samaritan in the presence of a wounded brother or sister. Love of God and love of neighbour are one love. Not to have other gods is to pause in the presence of God beside the flesh of our neighbour. For this reason, prayer, almsgiving and fasting are not three unrelated acts, but a single movement of openness and self-emptying, in which we cast out the idols that weigh us down, the attachments that imprison us. Then the atrophied and isolated heart will revive. Slow down, then, and pause! The contemplative dimension of life that Lent helps us to rediscover will release new energies. In the presence of God, we become brothers and sisters, more sensitive to one another: in place of threats and enemies, we discover companions and fellow travelers. This is God’s dream, the promised land to which we journey once we have left our slavery behind.
As we celebrate Ash Wednesday and enter into the Season of Lent, ask the Seven Holy Founders of the Servites to help you discern what Lenten good works will bear the greatest fruit—both for you as a Christian who is traveling along life’s way and for those who are most in need of our love and care.
Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord,
and further them with your constant help,
that all we do may always begin from you
and by you be brought to completion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Collect for Thursday after Ash Wednesday
