Mother of Sorrows VI ~ Final

Image - The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order

A Religious Order Dedicated to the Sorrowful Mother

From the fact that Mary wished to have a religious Order in the Church which would have the veneration of her sorrows as its special object, we may infer how much Mary herself desires us to venerate her dolors. Devotion to the sorrows of Mary has been practiced in the Church at all times. This is proved by numerous passages from the writings of the holy fathers, by prayers, pictorial representations and touching hymns. But God desired that devotion to the sorrows of the Mother of His Son should remain an abiding practice among all the faithful. To accomplish His design, He called into existence an Order whose special object should be to practice and foster devotion to the sorrows of Mary.

The Mother of Sorrows entrusted the establishment of this Order to seven pious noblemen of Florence. In 1223, on Good.Friday, as these men were meditating together on the Passion of Our Lord and the sufferings of His Blessed Mother, Mary appeared to them in heavenly beauty, accompanied by hosts of Angels. Some of the Angels carried the instruments of Our Lord's Passion; others carried black garments in their hands. One of the Angels held a book, the rule of St. Augustine; another held in his right hand a scroll bearing the title of the new Order, "Servants of Mary," in letters of gold, and in his left hand, a palm. The Blessed Virgin invested her servants with the black garment ---- it was the black scapular.

While these Saintly men were enraptured at what they beheld, they heard these words from the lips of the Blessed Virgin: "I have come, my elect servants, to comfort you in reply to your earnest petitions. Behold this garment; wear it in future. The black color should continually remind you of the sorrows which I experienced on this day at the death of my Son. The palm which you behold announces to you the glory that awaits you in Heaven if you serve me faithfully on earth."

The holy founders did as Mary bade them. Their spiritual sons have likewise propagated the devotion to the sorrows of Mary with great zeal. Even persons who are not members of the Order may participate in the merits and good works of its members by being invested with the black scapular of the Order. This scapular is usually included in the so-called fivefold scapular. Many graces and benefits may be gained by devoutly wearing this scapular, but those who wear it must also venerate the sorrows of Mary.

Eternal Father, we offer Thee the Blood, the Passion, and the Death of Jesus Christ, the sorrows of Mary most holy, and of St. Joseph, in satisfaction for our sins, in aid of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for the needs of holy Mother Church, and for the conversion of sinners. Virgin most sorrowful, pray for us!

The Black Scapular can be obtained here, and here. Buy it, wear it.

Friar Servants of Mary, the Servite Order

The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order

Go here for the international website for the Servite Order. I am also adding this to my favorite website list on the right sidebar. I encourage each of you to learn more about this order and pray for them. Look into them if you are discerning a call to religious life. I cannot speak for their orthodoxy, nor if this order is thriving or diminishing as so many are today. I simply don't know enough to say. From this order comes the black scapular, which seems to be underemphasized perhaps.

Confraternity of Our Lady's Sorrows III & More info on the Black Scapular

Purpose of the Confraternity

"The purpose of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows is to foster devotion to the passion of Christ and the sorrows of Mary, Mother of the Lord. The seven sorrows of Mary are based on events in Mary's life as recorded in the gospels."
Photo (Servite Friars Logo)

"The Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows assists the faithful in their Christian life and commitment by helping them draw inspiration from Mary who had a share in Christ's redemptive passion and death through her own sorrows. The members of the Confraternity strive to develop the virtue of compassion so that they might be with their suffering brothers and sisters through prayer and words of mercy."

Who May Be Enrolled

Any baptized person of any age who promises to fulfill the obligations of the Confraternity may be enrolled.

What are the Obligations?

The members of the Confraternity commit themselves:
1. To wear the black scapular or medal of Our Lady as a sign of their commitment.
2. To pray 10 to 15 minutes each day for the intentions of the entire Servite Family (friars, nuns, sisters, member of the Secular Order and the Secular Institutes, and especially members of this Confraternity). The Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows is recommended, but other prayer forms may be substituted. For a just cause, this obligation may be reduced to seven Hail Mary's.
3. To pray each day at least on "Hail Mary," "Hail Holy Queen" and the "Prayer for the Church and the Servite Order."
4. If possible, to undertake works of mercy, especially toward those suffering in body or spirit.

What are the Benefits?

1. A share in the prayers and works of Servites throughout the world, and in the prayers and works of other members of this Confraternity.
2. An opportunity to deepen one's own spiritual life and devotion to Mary in her sorrows.
3. Enrollment in the Register of the Servite Confraternity.
4. A black scapular, membership diploma, and prayer card.
5. A copy of the Novena in Honor of Our Sorrowful Mother.
6. Regular mailing of available newletters and magazines of the Servite Order, such as the Newsletter of the Servite Secular Order, Servites Today and the Servite Missions Annual.

Application for Membership

To cover the cost of the scapular and Servite publications, we ask a sacrificial donation of $10.00. If this is not possible, your heart will determine what you can afford at this time. To remain an active member, your membership may be renewed each year for the same sacrificial donation.

To enroll your name, address and donation payable to Servite Friars. Mail to:

Servite Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows

3121 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60612.

You can also purchase the rosary (or chaplet) of the Sorrowful Mother/Servite Rosary for $6.00 for black, $8.00 for crystal.

(Source: Pamphlet entitled The Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows. Published by the Order of Friar Servants of Mary. Chicago, IL)

As I stated in an earlier post, my husband and I sent off our application a few days ago. As you can see, with your enrollment you will receive a black scapular. You can also obtain them here from the Holy Face Association. I ordered 4 from them and received them recently. They are of "mid" quality I would say, definately better than typical free scapulars, but much lower quality then these - where I typically purchase scapulars. Rose Scapular unfortunately does not offer the black scapular apart from the five-fold scapular. Holy Face Association did however send some great information with the scapulars which will be the subject of the next few posts!

Confraternity of Our Lady's Sorrows II

The image of Mary at the foot of the cross has lon gbeen an inspiration to people who want to be close to Jesus. Many people have felt the powerful influence of Mary's prayers in their lives and have united themselvs to her in her sorrows. In order to increae devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, the Servite Order has established societies known as confraternities.

History of the Confraternity

"The order of Friar Servants of Mary, known as Servites, was founded in Italy in 1233. Today the Order is world-wide and consists of mendicant priests and brothers, cloistered nuns, apostolic sisters, and member of secular institutes and secular order communities. The Servite confraternity's roots reach back to the first century on the Order's existence."

"In the 13th century groups of faithful were living near the first communities of the Friar Servants of Mary. Since they wanted to share the Order's spirit, Marian inspiration, and devotions, they formed various types of Marian associations."

"By 1374 the prior general, Andrew of Faenza, called the brothers and sisters enrolled in these groups "our society" or "our association." He permitted them to share in teh spiritual works of the Order."

"In 1607 Pope Paul V {pictured above} promulgated new regulations for the various confraternities which existed at that time. He granted permission to the prior general of the Servite Order to erect the "Society of the Habit," as it was frequently called, because the members received a small scapular which recalled the black habit worn by the friars. Since these groups promoted devotion to the seven sorrows of Mary, Pope Innocent X {pictured below} officially designated them in 1645 as the Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows."

"Many people wish to belong to the Servite confraternity, but they do not live in the area where it has been officially established, or they are unable to attend the monthly prayer hours. The Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows, established for over a hundread years at the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows in Chicago, has been reorganized so that it might meet the needs of such people."
(Source: Pamphlet entitled The Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows, published by the Order of Friar Servants of Mary. Chicago, IL)

If you wish to join, here is the contact information:

Br. Michael Callary, OSM.

The Servite Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows

3121 West Jackson BLVD.

Chicago, IL 60612

Next posts: Purpose of the Confraternity, Obligations and Benefits!

Confraternity of Our Lady's Sorrows

The above image is a picture of the interior of the Basilica of Our Lady's Sorrows, a Servite parish in Chicago, Illinois. My husband and I received a packet of information on the Confraternity of Our Lady's Sorrows. We had placed a call to them to try to schedule being enrolled in both the confraternity and the Black Scapular but this is now handled via the mail. Sent off our applications yesterday and I'll let you know what all this enrollment involves. At any rate, we will be combining our medical education trip to Chicago next month with a pilgrimmage to this shrine. I will pray for each of you at Our Lady's altar and remember you at mass.

The next several posts will be about the rules and benefits of the confraternity. I strongly recommend contacting the good Servites if you have any interest in joining. Remember how great the promises are!

Black Scapular III

(photo credit)

Image ~ Black scapular of the Passionist Order

Ok, this post is about scapulars and their associated devotion in general. I have been unable to find an image of a black scapular of Mary's seven sorrows, otherwise known as the Servite Black scapular.

A scapular is a Catholic sacramental normally composed of two small pieces of wool cloth connected by string that is worn over the neck, under the clothing, such that one piece of cloth hangs over the chest, and the second piece of cloth hangs over the back ~ thus the name scapular as they hang between the scapulars, or shoulder blades. They derive from the scapulars which make up part of monastics' religious habits -- that ankle-length (front and back), shoulder-wide, apron-like part of the habit that basically consists of a long rectangular piece of material with a hole for the head. Some have hoods and some tie under the arms. Monastic scapulars came, over time, to be called jugum Christi (the yoke of Christ), and receiving the scapular (becoming "invested") took on solemn meaning.

In addition to regular monastics of the First Order (i.e., friars) and Second Order (cloistered nuns), laity attached themselves to various religious orders, too, in what are called "Third Orders." Some lay members of Third orders -- "tertiaries" -- are "Third Order Religious" who live in a monastic community and generally take vows; most others are "Third Order Secular" who live in the world and generally make solemn promises. In the beginning, many of these lay people were invested with the full habit; later, they came to wear only the very small scapulars under their clothing. In addition to these Third Orders, Confraternities of lay-people (married or single -- just "regular Catholics") developed. These were invested with Scapulars of Religious Orders to which they were attached. For example the Brown scapular of the Carmelites, the Black scapular of the Servites, etc. It is these scapulars for lay people belonging to a Confraternity or a Third Order that one generally thinks of when one hears the word "scapular."
Some scapulars have privileges and indulgences attached to wearing them, but like any sacramental, scapulars are not magic; their efficacy depends on the proper intentions and faith of the wearer. Only by following through on the promises one makes when becoming invested can the benefits associated with them be had. They act as reminders, too, of these things they signify and of the Saints who are parts of the religious community in question. They are reminders to live in purity and holiness.

Friendly reminder, to reverently kiss one's scapular is an indulgenced act.

Black Scapular II

(photo credit)

Image ~ Servite Habit Rosary

I am attempting to educate myself about the Servite order which was founded with a special devotion to Our Lady's Sorrows. It is my wish to share what information I find with you here and I'd appreciate any education you might share with me and the readers of this blog.

Here's a site with a nice synopsis of the order's charism and founding. In brief:

"The Order of Servites is the fifth mendicant order, the objects of which are the sanctification of its members, preaching the Gospel, and the propagation of devotion to the Mother of God, with special reference to her sorrows."

{The founders} "While engaged in the exercises of the confraternity on the feast of the Assumption, 1233, the Blessed Virgin appeared to them, advised them to withdraw from the world and devote themselves entirely to eternal things. They obeyed, and established themselves close to the convent of the Friars Minor at La Camarzia, a suburb of Florence. Desiring stricter seclusion than that offered at La Camarzia, they withdrew to Monte Senario, eleven miles north of Florence. Here the Blessed Virgin again appeared to them, conferred on them a black habit, instructed them to follow the Rule of St. Augustine and to found the order of her servants (15 April, 1240). The brethren elected a superior, took the vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, and admitted associates."

"The canonized Servite saints are: St. Philip Benizi (feast 23 Aug.), St. Peregrine Latiosi (30 April), St. Juliana Falconieri (19 June), and the Seven Holy Founders (12 Feb.)."

"In the United States they are to be found in the dioceses of Sioux City and Belville. There is also a third order for seculars, as well as a confraternity of the Seven Dolours, branches of which may be erected in any church."