FEAST DAY PRAYER SERVICE —–SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS

FEAST DAY PRAYER SERVICE —-SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS

A warm welcome for today’s prayer service.

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.

Praise and exalt him above all forever.

Saints of the Lord, bless the Lord

All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.

On this great day of celebrating the feast day of our seven holy founders, we are filled with profound joy and happiness.  In the beginning, Mother Mary was their chief architect of this new order which was founded on the humility of its members, built up by their mutual love and preserved by their poverty. Joining with all the members of our Servite order, come let us go in procession towards the Holy Sanctuary.

As we proceed, let us recite Hail Mary prayer after every response.

1. Leader:  Dear St. Bonfilius, intercede for all the members of your Servite family.       All:   Hail Mary full of …………
2. Leader:  Dear St. Alexis, intercede for all the members of your Servite family.            All:   Hail Mary full of …………
3. Leader: Dear St. Manettus, intercede for all the members of your Servite family.       All:   Hail Mary full of …………
4. Leader: Dear St. Amideus, intercede for all the members of your Servite family.        All:    Hail Mary full of …………
5. Leader: Dear St. Hugh, intercede for all the members of your Servite family.              All:   Hail Mary full of …………
6. Leader: Dear St. Sostene,  intercede for all the members of your Servite family.         All:  Hail Mary full of …………
7. Leader: Dear St. Buonagiunta, intercede for all the members of your Servite family.  All:  Hail Mary full of …………

Today is the day of coming together as a community in commemorating our fraternity. This day signifies the tremendous contribution of our fore fathers to our mother Church and to this universe. They laid a legacy for community life, prayer, penance and silence. Ultimately they lived a heavenly life on this earth.

On the Feast of the Assumption in the year 1233, Our Blessed Mother appeared to the 7 members of a Florentine Confraternity named “Laudesi” (the “Praisers” of Mary) when they were at prayer and bade them withdraw into solitude. Accordingly, these young noblemen of the city, 2 of whom were married and 2 others widowed, after having settled their personal affairs and made adequate provision for their dependents, established themselves several miles north of the city on the secluded Monte Senario. Here Mary appeared to them again and showed them the black habit she desired them to wear in memory of her sorrow and desolation at the foot of the Cross and instructed them to found the “Ordo Fratrum Servorum Sanctae Mariae” (Order of Friar Servants of St Mary) under the rule of St Augustine of Hippo. They carried out these directives under the guidance of St Peter of Verona, O.P., devoting themselves to much prayer, penance and silence on the one hand and teaching, preaching and various ministerial activities on the other.

The new order grew with such astonishing rapidity that by the beginning of the 14th century the Servites numbered 10,000, housed in 100 monasteries and missions spread across every continent, including the sub-continent of India. A Second Order for cloistered nuns and a Third Order for active works of charity and education, were also founded towards the end of the 13th century, the latter by St Juliana Falconieri.

Let us all with immense gratitude venerate our Lord who called and embraced our seven holy founders by joining in this bhajan.

Bhajan:

Living as a community is a blessing.

Living as a community in prayer is a grace.

Living as a community for one common goal is an opportunity.

Living as a community with one purpose is a call.

Living as a community in practicing penance is a virtue.

Living as a community with the devotion to blessed Mother Mary is a boon.

Remembering all the members of our Servite order and gathering all our richness,  let us cherish the essence of community life as we pray the Psalm 111.

PSALM 133 and 134

SAINT BONFILIUS:

We owe our deepest sense of gratitude to saint Bonfilius for the extremely supreme quality of trading the path for prayer life. He followed the invitation of the Lord and through the intense effort the community members could pray meaningfully and remained close to God forever. They submitted everything in prayer so that they could transform themselves into a torch bearers of prayer.

Let us pray:

We plead you dear saint Bonfilius, for entire Servite family that through your intercessory prayers we too become the true messengers of prayer. Like Mary may we all remain faithful to our prayer life and like Jesus may we all draw inspiration and strength through prayer. Accompany us in our journey that our life may bear witness to consecrated life through our prayer. For this we pray and offer this lighted lamp and sing  the chorus.

Chorus:  With joyful lips   P3

SAINT ALEXIS:

We humbly express our sincere thanks to saint Alexis for your contribution to build up the community. You made all to be together in prayer and lived  an exemplary life for bringing all under one common good. Your initiation to work together with the guidance of Mother Mary in mount Senario is a true inspiration for us to live our community life authentically.

Let us pray:

We pray to you St. Alexis, for all the communities of Servite order that we may all understand the real meaning of community life and proclaim the charism of our Congregation through our witnessing life. Help us when we fail to cooperate with our community members for the welfare of the society. Journey along with us, so that we, as a community will be able to read the word of God and walk accordingly. For this we pray and offer this lighted lamp and sing the chorus.

Chorus: With  joyful lips   P3

SAINT MANETTUS:

We come before you dear St. Manettus, in appreciation for your involvement to encourage your brothers to grow in the virtue of penance very promptly. By following the foot steps of your divine master Jesus and blessed Mother of Sorrows you attracted everyone to taste the precious virtue of giving up our own interests, likes and desires in order to give a new face for monastic life.

Let us pray:

We pray to you dear St. Manettus, for all the members of our mother church and our Servite order that we all may experience the golden virtue of penance during this Lenten observance. May our hearts burn for the love of Jesus and thereby we will be able to give up our selfish nature and become the ardent followers of Christ with all our humility. Walk along with us specially so that we may ever draw inspiration from you and be away from our weaknesses. For this we pray and offer this lighted lamp and sing  the chorus.

Chorus: With  joyful lips   P3

SAINT AMIDEUS:

We bless you dear St. Amideus, for your special interest to know the value of silence and making all your brothers to also experience its richness. We truly admire your total commitment in listening to the Lord and the people by giving up all your wavering words and imbibed the love of God in deep silence of your heart. It truly led other brothers to follow the life style of Mother of sorrows who pondered everything in her heart.

Let us pray:

We seek your intercessory prayers dear St. Amideus, for all the members of our Congregation that we may give more meaning for the gift of silence. Help us to listen to the voice of the Lord which will gradually lead to the path of Sacred silence. As you led all the brothers at mount Senario to know the Lord in silence and listen to the needs of the people in silence, help us also to seek the great power of silence and its effective impact. For this we pray and offer this lighted lamp and sing  the chorus.

Chorus: With  joyful lips   P3

SAINT HUGH:

We praise you dear St. Hugh for your specific way of collaborating with all the brothers at mount Senerio to practice the promise of poverty. We humbly honor your immense involvement in shaping the life of consecrated people through your simple way of obeying the holy will of the Lord by adding more meaning to religious life. You gave up your own way of living and tried your best to explore the life of poverty.

Let us pray:

We pray to you St. Hugh for all the benefactors that their selfless service will bear fruits in abundance. May their wonderful journey along with us,  be continued for the benevolent gift of God and  be continued for the blessings of the people. May your divine intercessory prayers be the source of charity, purity and sincerity. Kindly accompany all the benefactors as you accompanied all the brothers at mount Senerio to become the messengers of poverty. For this we pray and offer this lighted lamp and sing the chorus.

Chorus: With  joyful lips   P3

SAINT SOSTENE:

We greet you dear St. Sostene for your ardent faith on the mantle care of our Mother Mary and the filial love you showed upon her. It was very vividly seen and radiated as you initiated all  to express a significant way of manifesting  your devotion to blessed mother. Your greatness was your love, your greatness was your attachment and your greatness was your closeness to Mother Mary.

Let us pray:

We plead your intercessory prayers dear St.Sostene  for all the young sisters of our Congregation and for eminent vocations. May your prayers help our young sisters to become the tabernacle of Jesus, our divine master. May you intercede for our Congregation so that it may be  blessed with numerous numbers of young girls joining in the company of showing our devotion to blessed mother. May you accompany all of us there by we become the strong pillars of empowering the young sisters and young girls. For this we pray and offer this lighted lamp and sing  the chorus.

Chorus: With  joyful lips   P3

SAINT BUONAGIUNTA:

We love you dear St. Buonagiunta for your promising nature of spiritual perfection. You showed the way to all to attain spiritual perfection. Your total commitment to the very life of simple nature, humility and so obedient to say yes for God’s call led all the people to understand and acknowledge the spiritual perfection. It indeed created an aspiration to all who came in contact with you all dear holy fathers.

Let us pray:

We seek your intercessory prayers dear St. Buonagiunta , for all the faithful of our mother Church that we all may remain loyal to our mother Church. May your prayers help us elevate our hearts and minds to thirst for spiritual perfection. Let our constant strive be towards the kingdom of God. Let all the faithful, give an attempt to know  the Lord of unconditional love and compassion. May all the faithful of the church testimony the graceful interventions of God the merciful father. For this we pray and offer this lighted lamp and sing  the chorus.

Chorus: With  joyful lips   P3

Recalling the oneness, togetherness, greatness and holiness of our seven holy founders in the name of the Lord and in the love of Mother Mary let us sing this hymn.

HYMN: BIND US TOGETHER LORD/ ANY APPROPRIATE HYMN

In 1240, seven noblemen of Florence mutually decided to withdraw from the city to a solitary place and lead lives as hermits on Monte Senario, especially venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary. Then they preached through the length and breadth of Tuscany, and founded the Order of Servites which in 1304 received the approval of the Holy See. They are venerated on this day which is said to be the day on which St Alexis Falconeiri, one of the seven, died, in the year 1310.

We observe a moment of deep silence in praying for all the departed Servite fathers, brothers, sisters and benefactors. May they all rest in peace and enjoy God’s heavenly abode.

SILENCE

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Mother Mary was the mother of faith to our seven holy founders. In her they saw the real image of Jesus. She was their role model to live as fathers of prayer. From her they drew great inspiration to spend their entire life time for the Lord and with the Lord. Mother Mary as the super iconic personality for all its virtues and values, stands today as our ever admirable mother. Let us stand and sing together the Magnificat  and sprinkle flowers to her.

HYMN: MAGNIFICAT OR CONGREGATIONAL HYMN