In thirteenth-century Florence, seven prosperous merchants left worldly life to pray and do penance together. They founded the Order of the Servants of Mary, devoted to Our Lady, and were canonized together.
Life
The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order were merchants of Florence, Italy, in the thirteenth century. They were laymen who prayed together in a confraternity devoted to Our Lady, and around 1233 they gave up worldly wealth and status to begin a common life of prayer and penance.
They withdrew to Monte Senario near Florence and formed a community, consecrating themselves to Mary, especially Our Lady of Sorrows, and came to be called the Servants of Mary. The community gradually developed into a religious order and received the Church's approval. Of the seven, Alexis Falconieri is said to have lived the longest. They were canonized together by Pope Leo XIII in 1888.
Spirituality
The spirituality of the Seven Founders is the strength of a community seeking God together. Not alone but as brothers, they gave up everything and followed the Lord with Our Lady of Sorrows standing at the Cross. Like Mary, their service was to remain beside those who suffer.
Reflection
The seven merchants were friends who prayed together, and together they gave their lives to God. Is your small group or ministry a community that builds up one another's faith? Why not pray for those who walk with you today?