It’s the Feast of The Seven Holy Founders, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: “The Good Earth”, today’s news from the Church: “Our Lady of Guadalupe: A Hoax?”, a preview of the Sermon: “Glory in Our Weakness”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.
The Seven Holy Founders were not martyrs, bishops, or scholars, but wealthy laymen who chose to step away from influence in order to rebuild Christian life through humility. They lived in thirteenth century Florence, a city marked by commercial success, political rivalry, and growing tension between factions. Each of the seven belonged to a prominent family and to a confraternity devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Yet despite comfort and social standing, they sensed that God was asking something more radical than civic devotion.
Tradition tells that in 1233, during a time of unrest in Florence, these men experienced a shared interior call to leave the world and embrace a life of penance and prayer. They withdrew first to a modest house outside the city and later to Monte Senario, a rugged hillside overlooking Florence. There they embraced poverty, silence, fasting, and manual labor. Their life was not shaped by a detailed program, but by simplicity and Marian devotion. They sought to live as brothers, united in prayer and charity, offering reparation for division and sin in their city.
What began as a hidden experiment gradually drew others. The small community grew, and the Church eventually recognized their way of life as a new religious order: the Servants of Mary, or Servites. Unlike some founders who were strong personalities, the seven Holy Founders left few individual marks. Their sanctity was communal. They governed together, prayed together, and gradually surrendered leadership to younger members. Even their names are often remembered
