www.servidimaria.

net;
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Electronic bulletin of
quick information from
the Center of Communications

February 2015, Year 8 - N. 2

1233 - 2015

2008 - 2015

L
Pope Francis presented an Apostolic Letter to all consecrated people on
the occasion of the year of Consecrated Life. In this issue of C on
line for February, as we celebrate the solemnity of our Seven First Fathers, we would like to offer a reflection prepared by the . . . Historical
Institute on the first objective of the Holy Fathers Letter: look to the past
with gratitude. (Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis to all consecrated people on the occasion of the year of Consecrated Life, n. I/1).

The first of these objectives is looking at the past with gratitude. All our Institutes are heir to a history rich in
charisms. Knowing history is essential for preserving our identity, for strengthening both our unity as a family and our
common sense of belonging.[] More than an exercise in archaeology or the cultivation of mere nostalgia, it calls for
following in the footsteps of past generations in order to grasp the high ideals, and the vision and values which
inspired them, beginning with the founders and foundresses and the first communities.[] During this Year, it would
be appropriate for each charismatic family to reflect on its origins and history, in order to thank God who grants the
Church a variety of gifts which embellish her and equip her for every good work. (Pope Francis Letter, no. I/1).

Although eight hundred years have passed since our Order began, thanks be to
God, we have good archival documentation and precious hagiographies.
Outstanding among these resources is the Legenda de origine Ordinis (LO).
Through these texts we can approach the very birth of our Order. With this
great legacy we will attempt to discover the history and charismatic insight of
our Seven Holy Founders. This is what Pope Francis is asking of all who live
the consecrated life.

1. Ideals, programs, values

From the very beginning of our Order when our first fathers
joined together to lead a life in common, people began to call
them the Friar Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary (LO 32).
In all humility we are proud to acknowledge that we are the only Order in the
Church that began with a small community of fraternal souls (Paul VI), friars
who looked to the Virgin Mary for their inspiration Servants of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
For this reason it is clear that the ideals, program and values of our Seven first
Fathers can be found in fraternal communion in the service of and with the style
of Our Lady. People recognized this immediately.
The Legenda tells us:
[Our Lady] started her Order, the Order of her Servants, through
the deep and radical coming together of these men. By founding
her Order and the Order of her servants through seven men Our
Lady clearly revealed her intention: she wished to endow her
Order with an abundance of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. (LO
15).

2. Gods action: something that comes first

At their origins we see the hand of God who, in his Spirit, calls certain individuals to follow Christ more closely, to
translate the Gospel into a particular way of life, to read the signs of the times with the eyes of faith and to respond
creatively to the needs of the Church. (Pope Francis Letter, no. I/1).

We read in the Gospel of Mark: Jesus summoned those whom he wanted; he

appointed twelve that they might be with him and help in various ways in the
work of salvation. (Mk 3, 13-15). This is fundamental for every Christian
vocation and especially for a vocation to the consecrated life. The source of
every vocation is a real but mysterious call Gods action, an abundance of
the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (LO 15). Astounded but yet attracted every
man and woman to respond to this call.
They did not know each other; they lived in different parts of the
city. Later one by one they met and came together and shared a
deep, interior friendship; they were united by bonds of love.
This happened because Our Lady loved them and wished it; she
led them to establish her Order. Their shared activities brought
them together (LO 29).
Gradually they realized that God was showing them a mountain where they
should take up residence if they were to achieve what He wanted of
them (ob sui desiderium aeimplendum accederent: LO 41).
How the Seven Fathers were to contribute to Gods work of salvation
translating the Gospel into a specific form of life, [] reading the signs of the
times with the eyes of faith [] responding to the needs of the Church with
creativity all of this is described in the Legenda de Origine with an
extraordinary expression: perfecte caritatis amicitia the friendship of perfect
charity:
This was the definitive sign of that deep friendship of charity
that kept them perfectly united for the purpose of founding our
Order. This friendship of charity led them gently and lovingly to
perfect agreement; they saw everything, human and divine, in
the light of Gods will. They found it difficult to be apart from
each other. Even an hours separation caused them great
discomfort. The friendship that brought their souls together in
everything human and divine led them to abandon and forget
earthly things altogether. That friendship strengthened their
resolve and inspired them to live together not just spiritually but
physically. They could support each other with example, word
and work. Ultimately they would be joined, body and soul, in
heavenly glory with Christ for love of whom they shared this
friendship (LO 29).

Two elements make this perfecte caritatis amicitia real and fascinating.
The first of these elements is the mysterious but common origin of their view of reality: perfect agreement
they saw everything, human and divine, in the light of Gods will. This is truly revolutionary and novel: the
criterion for judging reality was not to be found in each individual considered separately. It had its origin in each
brothers personal experience of God. From the very beginning they were united; their shared point of
departure preceded their individual opinion.
The second element is the affection that pervaded their daily life. Fra Pier Giorgio M. Di Domenico tells us that
they found even an hours separation difficult. We see here their will to grow together and to avoid the
temptation of acting on their own even if such action might be quicker and more effective. They accepted
each others pace. This was a clear expression of their absolute confidence in the value of common life. In the
Legenda friendship was the point of departure for this confidence. Friendship helped keep our Fathers faithful
to their program of penance and inspired them to live together not just spiritually but physically. They could
support each other with their example, word and work. (LO 29).
The influence of Augustines concept of religious life is abundantly clear. Saint Augustine began his religious
experience living with a group of friends. For him the search for truth was inconceivable without communion.
Without friendship there could be no religious quest, there could be no human life [] Friendship infuses our
relationships with openness, confidence, freedom and affection. Without these life in common is cold: it is a
life that says little.1
1. P.G.M. D D
, Alle radici del nostro carisma. 1. La Legenda de origine, a cura del Regnum
Mariae, ed. VivereIn, Roma-Monopoli, 2007, pp. 90-91).
2

The Founders responded to the needs of the Church creatively. The particular form of life through which
they did this is spelled out concretely in the famous passage about the three tents or three tabernacles in
the Legenda (LO 44-45).
As a result of Baptism three elements will always be present in our life: home, mindfulness of Christ and
fruitfulness. These are the pillars of our existence.
Home. How comfortable it is to live in a beautiful house, a well-kept priory. Throughout the centuries
architecture and art have been a school of faith for generations. Its not a question of luxury; the stone walls of
the chapel of Apparition on Monte Senario are modest but well cared for. Our houses, our priories so many
of them are modestly but tastefully furnished; one can be comfortable in such an environment. We are made
for beauty.
Mindfulness of Christ. This is the mysterious foundation of everything; like the foundation of a house or the
roots of a plant though not immediately visible they hold everything up. Christ is familiar; he is present in all
the circumstances of our life. We can see his hand even in those events that require complicated decisions.
Fra ngel M. Ruiz reminds us of this when he speaks of a fundamental transition in the life of the Seven
Fathers: on the one hand, the decision to have a period of more withdrawn prayer outside the city, in
obedience to the will of God (LO 40 and 41) and on the other hand after receiving new companions (LO 48) the
apparently contradictory decision, though full of faith, to leave the mountain and go to meet their fellow men
and women. (A.M.RUIZ GARNICA, Alexis, One of the Seven, Rome 2010, no. 9).
In our own time and in past centuries circumstances forced so many of our brothers and sisters to abandon
their own program. This is not easy. Unless the individual who confronts this is in constant communion with
and mindful of Christ he will feel resentment. Very early leadership in the Order passed into the hands of friars
who were not part of the original group. This departure from what might be considered the Founders creation
happened while some were still alive. What humility that required! It is clear what was most important for
Alexis and his friends.
Fruitfulness. In the western world it is not easy to start a family either physical or religious. The difficulties we
encounter can take our breath away. We are surrounded by relativism.
How beautiful it is to meet brothers and sisters who look to the future; who see the continuity of the work they
are building. The universality of our beautiful Family is continually reinforced by others seeking to share our
vocation as Servants of Mary in various ways. This is the solid foundation of our hope for continued
fruitfulness. This is what the Pope is speaking about: to read the signs of the times with the eyes of faith.

3. Offshoots of Senarios mystical vine can be found throughout the world

This initial experience then matured and developed, engaging new members in new geographic and cultural
contexts, and giving rise to new ways of exercising the charism, new initiatives and expressions of apostolic charity.
Like the seed which becomes a tree, each Institute grew and stretched out its branches. [...] In this way we come to
see how the charism has been lived over the years, the creativity it has sparked, the difficulties it encountered and
the concrete ways those difficulties were surmounted. We may also encounter cases of inconsistency, the result of
human weakness and even at times a neglect of some essential aspects of the charism. Yet everything proves
instructive and, taken as a whole, acts as a summons to conversion. (Pope Francis Letter, no. I/1).
3

The growth and development of that initial experiment was not without stress. It is beautiful and somewhat
surprising that we read in the Legenda de Origine what the process of conversion meant for the Seven Fathers
as they encountered new situations (the Gods surprises as Pope Francis calls them).
As we noted earlier the Seven were already sharing a genuine friendship of charity that led them gently and
lovingly to perfect agreement; they saw everything, human and divine, in the light of Gods will. (LO 29). They
discovered that not only was God at the origin of their spiritual adventure it was likewise his prompting that
gave rise to their radical program of joining together to do penance and they were willing to modify their
original program.
It was surely no easy thing for them to abandon the fullness of a life of contemplation and yet they
wanted only to do Gods will. Recent events had convinced them that this was Gods will so they
decided to accept new friars whom they knew to be well established in the fear of the Lord. In fact at
that time they actually admitted some of them. (LO 48).
This is always the case. All growth and change involves the experience of virginity, of detachment from the
creature that has been given birth. How very productive this virginity can be! Undeniable evidence can be
found in the twenty-nine of our brothers and sisters who have been raised to the honors of the altar. This is not
the only evidence of that productivity there is more: the cloistered convents of contemplative life, the active
sisters congregations, the secular institutes, the numerous Secular Order fraternities, the Lay Diakonie, the lay
movements and the network of Servite schools as well as the solemn professed friars and friars in formation
that can be found on five continents.

Presence of the Servite Family in the World

We cannot overlook the Orders emphasis on devotion to our Lady of Sorrows since the end of the sixteenth
century. This devotion struck a chord with people; it led to the founding of so many confraternities and inspired
many of the female congregations aggregated to the Order. Even after the fuller appreciation of Marys role in
the second half of the last century has corrected some of its exaggerations, devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows
remains one of the Servite charisms most original contributions to the Church.
Finally there have been many attempts at reform in the long history of the Order: not only the three great reform
movements but the many individual experiments (especially in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council)
that gave rise to frequent and long term tension. But it is especially worthy of note that none of these attempted
reforms has led to any definitive separation. This is historical proof of the Seven Holy Founders charism of
perfecte caritatis amicitia.
Prepared by the . . . Historical Institute

- 10

The General Council gathered together for its annual planning from 15 to 19 December 2014 in
Servitenkonvent at Innsbruck. As usual, a synthesis of the Councils decisions is presented in this C on
line.

1. Evaluation, reflection and sharing on the work done

The annual planning session began with a moment of evaluation, reflection and sharing on the work carried out
by the Prior General and his Council in the past year.

2. Planning of Provincial and Vicarial Elective Chapters

The General Council studied a proposal of the Prior Provincial of the St. Peregrine Province (
) in a letter
dated 2 December 2014, to celebrate the forthcoming Provincial Elective Chapter from 10 to 17 December
2015, instead of celebrating it in January or in February 2016. After a discussion, the General Council approved
the proposal of the Brazilian Province to celebrate its Provincial Elective Chapter in the month of December
2015 in order to provide the possibility for all the friars of the Province and the Prior General to take part in the
Chapter.
4

This is the program approved by the General Council for celebrating the forthcoming Provincial and Vicarial
Elective Chapters. The Prior General will preside over the Chapters along with the liaison general councilor of
the respective jurisdictions.

Dates

Province / Vicariate

10-17 December 2015 St. Peregrine Province (

4-9 January 2016

Province of St. Mary of the Andes (

25-30 January 2016

Venetian Province (

1-5 February 2016

Tyrol Province (

15-19 February 2016

American Province (

28 March-1 April 2016 Canadian Province (

4-8 April 2016

Mexican Province (

18-22 April 2016

St. Peregrine Vicariate (

25-30 April 2016

Aikiya Annai Province (

9-14 May 2016

SS. Annunziata Province (

6-11 June 2016

Province of Piedmont, Romagna and France (

20-24 June 2016

Province of the Isles (

)
)

3. Foreseen Activities of the General Council for the Year 2015

The General Council foresees these following activities for the year 2015. They will be carried out with the
involvement or participation of one of its members:

Dates

Activities

Member of GC

4-29 January

Canonical Visitation to St. Peregrine Vicariate (

fra Gottfried and fra Rhett

29 Jan. 17 Feb.

Provincial Chapter of St. Peregrine Province (

[Turvo, 6-13 February)

),

fra Jorge

15-17 February

Monte Senario and SantAngelo in Vado

fra Gottfried

17 February

Monte Berico: Day of remembrance for fra Ignazio M.

Calabuig (2005)

fra Paolo

25 February

Marian Document presentation at P.F.T. Marianum

fra Gottfried and fra Paolo

26 Feb. 30 March

Canonical Visitation to the Venetian Province (

fra Gottfried and fra Rhett

12 March

AMCG-Charismatic Family Meeting in Rome

fra Souriraj

18-22 March

European Regional Conference

fra Paolo

25-28 March

Visit to Rome by Villemomble School

fra Jorge and fra Camille

8-11 April

International Seminar for the Formators of the

Consecrated Life in Rome

fra Jorge

9-12 April

Council meeting of . . . Historical Institute in Florence

fra Paolo

13-15 April

Meeting of Center for Communication . . . in Rome

fra Souriraj and fra Camille

19-23 April

Canonical Visit to C.I.F. St. Alexis F.

fra Gottfried and fra Rhett

23-27 April

General Assembly of

fra Souriraj

25 April

Solemn Profession in the Monastery, Rome

fra Gottfried

May

Spirituality Course for the Temporary Professed of the

Indian Province

fra Camille

May June

Canonical Visitation to Province of Piedmont, Romagna

and France (
)

fra Gottfried and fra Paolo

27-29 May

USG Assembly in Rome

fra Gottfried

(London)

Dates

Activities

Member of GC

2-4 June

Assembly of the Italian Federation of Servite Cloistered

Nuns in Rome

fra Gottfried

12-14 June

fra Gottfried, fra Souriraj

and fra Camille

29 June-4 July

Servite History and Spirituality Week at Monte Senario

Council at Naples

3 August

: Inauguration of the General Chapter

fra Paolo
fra Gottfried

th

August

25 Year Anniversary of the Presence of the Servite

Sisters of Cuves/London in Congo

fra Camille

September

Canonical Visitation to American Province (

fra Gottfried and fra Souriraj

31 Aug.-4 Sep.

European Regional Conference in Innsbruck

4-7 September

fra Paolo

National Congress in Florence

fra Paolo

10-12 September

Council meeting of . . . Historical Institute

fra Paolo

23-26 September

International Workshop for young consecrated people in

Rome

fra Jorge

11-14 October

Canonical Visitation to San Marcello Community

18-31 October

Canonical Visitation to the Communities of the

Marianum and Monte Senario

15-22 November

Canonical Visitation to the Delegation of Spain (

18-21 November

International Congress on Education

22-28 November

Annual Planning of the General Council at Denia in Spain The General Council

fra Gottfried and fra Rhett

)

fra Gottfred and fra Paolo

fra Jorge

4. Marian Document Avvenga per me seconda la tua Parola

The General Council reflected on the publication of the Marian Document Avvenga per me seconda la tua
Parola (Lk 1, 38) in other languages spoken in the Order. After discussion the General Council decided
unanimously: a) to foresee only the typical edition of the document in the Italian language; b) to help with
(without taking full responsibility for) the translation of the text in various languages spoken in the Order; c) to
remind about the importance of studying and making use of the document (cf. CG 2013, nn. 14, 23).

5. Situation of the Communities under Prior Generals Jurisdiction

The General Council made a study on the present situation of the communities under the Prior Generals
jurisdiction: Community of San Marcello; Community of Monte Senario (together with Hermitage of Le Stinche);
C.I.F. St. Alexis Falconieri and the Community of Marianum.

6. Project of the General Houses in Rome

Once the library work at the Marianum is completed and the books are transferred to the new library, there
will be free space in the present library. The General Council started to reflect on a common project for the
Servite presence in Rome (including the communities of Santa Maria in Via and Sette Santi Fondatori).

7. Canonical Visitation to the Community of the Marianum

The Prior General, along with the Vicar General, made the Canonical Visitation to the Community of
Marianum from 23 to 27 October 2014. The report was presented to the General Council and it will be
forwarded to the Community.

8. Canonical Visitation to the Community of Monte Senario

The Prior General, along with the Vicar General, made Canonical Visitation to the Community of Monte Senario
from 16 to 20 October 2014. At the same time, the General Treasurer, along with fra Attilio M. Carrella, made a
financial verification visit to the same community. The two reports were presented to the General Council and
will be forwarded to the community.

9. Scholarships

During the London Meeting with the Provincials (8-16 September 2014), the Prior General presented the need
to find 7 scholarships for our temporary professed in C.I.F. St. Alexis F. Community in Rome for the academic
year 2014-2015. During the annual planning of the General Council in Innsbruck, the Prior General announced
that various jurisdictions of the Order have taken responsibility to give scholarships to students: 2
[1 for
- , 1 for
], 2
[1 for
, 1 for the Formation Fund], 1
[1 for
], 2
[2 for
- ], 1
(from the John Dowd Fund) [1 for
].
6

10. Pontifical Universities and the Marianum

For the past few months there has been a dialogue at different levels (among major superiors as well as the
academic authorities) to realize a common project of collaboration between the Pontifical Universities and
Institutes of Study in Rome, taking into account the challenges and current perspectives. In particular, some of
the big academic institutions (Dominicans, Jesuits and Salesians) believe that it is an urgent need to set a
calendar to achieve an effective collaboration of a common project.
The Prior General, supported by his Council, expressed the favorable opinion that the Marianum should
participate in this project. He asked the President of P.F.T. Marianum to participate in the initiatives taken for
this project.

11. Library of Marianum

The construction work for the "Marianum" library is in full swing. Meanwhile, the librarian made a request to the
Prior General to allow a few young friars to shift the books from the present library to the new library. The
transfer of the books is foreseen for autumn 2015. The Prior General consulted the respective provincials of the
friars indicated by the librarian and they have responded positively.

12. Six-year plan for some General Secretariats and Officials

The General Council examined and approved the six-year plan for some of the General Secretariats: The
Secretariat for the Evangelization of Peoples and Justice and Peace (Secretary fra Rhett M. Sarabia); the
Center for Communications (Secretary fra Souriraj M. Arulananda Samy).

13. Publication of C

The 213th General Chapter (2013) affirmed that the C bulletin provides precious information and
documentation for our whole Family. May it continue to exist and offer news that is broader, more detailed and
easily saved (CG 2013, n. 33/b). In the London meeting (8-16 September 2014), the Provincials asked the
General Council to study the possibility in the future, of presenting only an electronic copy of C instead of
printing it, or to reduce the number of issues. The General Council decided unanimously ad experimentum
that the printed C
will be published in only three issues a year from 2015 to the next General Chapter
(2019): one will include news, another obituaries (of the previous years deceased friars . . ) and the third will
be thematic.

14. Communications

a) Change of Jurisdiction: In the virtue of article 185 of the Constitutions, two friars changed
jurisdictions: fra Ren M. Pontel moved from St. Peregrine Province (
) to the Province of St. Mary of
the Andes (
); fra Cristiano M. Cavedon moved from the Venetian Province (
) to the Aikiya Annai
Province ( ).
b) Request of Consent for Admission to Solemn Profession: The Prior General gave his consent for the
admission to the solemn profession of fra Charles Fernando M. Gomes of the St. Peregrine Province
(
).
c) Renewing the Contract for the mission with the Apostolic Vicariate of Aysn: The Provincial Council
of the Province of St. Mary of the Andes (
), after speaking with Msgr. Luigi Infanti Della Mora, the
Apostolic Vicar of Aysn, has arrived at the conclusion that the
Province cannot continue its contract
for the mission with the Apostolic Vicariate of Aysn long term. Thus, the Provincial Council decided to
renew it only for the next three years (2015-2018).
d) Presence in Myanmar: During the Canonical Visitation of Prior General, it emerged that the
Province faces difficulty in financially supporting the presence in Myanmar, founded and supported by
Venetian Province (
). To maintain the foundation in Myanmar, the friars have a poultry farm to
produce eggs, but it is not sufficient. Support is needed from another jurisdiction in the Order. The Prior
General is consulting the other provinces for this purpose.

1. M

,M

: Profession and Initiation to the Novitiate

On 27 January 2015, in St. Gabriel Parish (Matola, Mozambique),

during a celebration presided over by the Prior Provincial, fra
Paulo Sergio M. Angeloni, the following friars made religious
profession in our Order: Cosme M. Jos Mucupa, Dionisio M.
Antonio Manuel, Grson Junior M. da Silva Gomes, Ivan M.
Siqueira dos Santos, Jeremias M. Andr Mugabe, Lafim M. Rafael
Monteiro and Percy M. Astopillo Toro (
). After the celebration,
there was a moment of fraternal sharing and feasting.

On 28 January 2015, in the Community Chapel of Servos de Maria (Matola, Mozambique), during a
Celebration of the Word presided over by the Prior Provincial, fra Paulo Sergio M. Angeloni, the following
students (4 from Brazil and 1 from Mozambique) made their entrance into the novitiate life: Anderson Adevaldo
dos Santos, Conrado Puglia Barbosa, Luiz Fernando Dionisio, Julio Cesar de Oliveira and Manuelinho Moreira
Jos. After the celebration, all were united as one family to share the delicious food.
7

2.

: Canonical Visitation of Prior General

,O

,A

J
: Prayerful wishes to fra Patrick M. Ryall ( ) on the 50th anniversary of his religious
profession [30 April 1965]. Prayerful wishes to these friars on their 50th anniversary of priestly ordination:
Enrico M. Cazzaro (
), Arnaldo M. Donghi (
) and Anacleto M. Tomassi (
), [19 April 1965].

FIR: Bicentennial Anniversary of Mother

Giulianas Birth

The Congregation of Sister Servants of Mary of Our

Lady of Sorrows of Florence, celebrates the
bicentennial anniversary of their foundress, Sr. M.
Giuliana di S. Anna, known to the world as Giuditta
Antonia Signorini, widow Cinganelli, who was born on
17 January 1815 in Florence and died on 20
November 1873 at Badia in Ripoli.
It is a happy co-incident that this anniversary becomes
more significant as it falls in the year of Consecrated
Life proposed by Pope Francis. In this year all the
congregations are invited to look into the past with
gratitude, not for mere archeological purposes, but to
grasp the high ideals, and the vision and values which
inspired them, beginning with the founders and
foundresses and the first communities, moreover to
thank God who grants the Church a variety of gifts
which embellish her and equip her for every good
work
The celebrations started on 17 January 2015, in St.
Bartholomew Parish, Ripoli, with the Eucharistic
celebration presided over by fra Sergio M. Ziliani, Prior
Provincial
. Soon after the Mass, there was a
moment of celebration in the home for the aged (Casa
di Riposo Piccola Betania), where our sisters are
rendering their service.

Canonical Visitation of Prior General to the

Venetian Province (
)
[26 February to 30 March 2015]
Date of Visit

Communities

26 Feb.-5 March

S. Maria di Monte Berico in Vicenza

7 March

S. Elena in Venezia

9-10 March

S. Maria della Grazie in Udine

12-13 March

Santa Maria di Pietralba

14 March 2015

Santa Maria dei Servi in Arco

16-17 March

Santa Maria della Scala in Verona

18 March

SS. Annunciata in Rovato

19 March

Abazia di S. Egidio in Sotto il Monte

20-21 March

San Carlo in Milan

25 March

S. Maria del Cengio, Isola Vicentina

26-29 March

Santa Maria del Rosario in Follina

30 March

Meeting with Provincial Council