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Show Mother General of Servites. A distinguished visitor just now staying stay-ing in New York, where she landed last week from England, is Sister Mary Antonia, the Rev. Mother General of the Servite Sisters, who were introduced intro-duced into America in 1S92. Sister Mary Antonia comes in the interests of her historic order, which has had s'gnal. success in the brief time that ha3 elapsed since its introduction to this country. Her visit, no doubt, will be marked by a further increase and propagation of the devoted sisterhood, who are so zealously furthering Christian Chris-tian education among us. The Servites, or Servants of Mary, were founded about the- year 1287 by St. Juliana Falconieri, a beautiful heiress of Florence, who, desirous of attaining that spiritual perfection denied her in the world, at the suggestion of St. Alexis Falconieri. a kinsman and holy recluse, adopted the first convent ,of the order near the Church of the Annunciation Annunci-ation in Florence. Before the formal opening of this convent, the Servite nuns had lived in the world as Tertl-aries Tertl-aries affiliated to the Servites, or Servants Ser-vants of Mary an order of men founded found-ed some years earlier by seven young men, known as the Seven Servite founders, who were canonized in 1SS8 by Leo XIII. These men were Bonfllius Monaldy, Alexis Falconieri, Benedict del'.'Antilla, Bartholomew Amidei, Ri-covero Ri-covero Uguccioni, Ghirardino Sostegni and John Manetti. Retiring for contemplation con-templation and mortification to the solitude sol-itude of Mount Senario, some miles from Florence, and adopting the rule and habit of St. Augustine, the fame of their virtues soon attracted to them so many followers that the Order of Servites, or Servants of Mary (so called because of their great devotion to our blessed lady) was the result. The order was formally recognized by Pope Benedict Ben-edict XI in the year 1304. The Servite Sisters, besides their houses in America, have many houses in England, Ireland, France. Belgium and India. The foundress, Julia Falconieri, Fal-conieri, was canonized on July 16, 1737, and June 19th is observed as her feast. |