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Service

The Servites do a good variety of services: Service to God, Virgin Mary, Church, humanity, and to the friars of his own community. Service is ‘sharing the aspirations and the restlessness of man and promoting the genuine forms of Christian life’; – service as offering hospitality and welcoming the brothers, especially the humble; assisting the elderly ones, the sick and the needy; – service also means manifold forms of apostolic responsibilities, particularly missionary activities; – Also study, exercise of authority for the well-being of others, broad-mindedness toward all the creatures, relationships of peace and justice and love for all the creatures.” OSSM Rule Of Life Article#13 

Community

The fraternal communion characterizes our way of witnessing the Gospel; – It defines our life-style, our work and prayer; – It determines the form of government of the Order and it gives a peculiar imprint to our apostolic services; this is where we give witness to the evangelical poverty, obedience to the Word of God and to the community decisions; – In our fraternal communion, we recognize a source of friendship and a safeguard of our consecration to the Lord in the chastity for the Kingdom; – And finally the fraternal communion is a very essential atmosphere for the authentic formation of the Servants of Mary and for the integral development of our personality” OSSM Rule Of Life Article#6

Inspired by Mary

In the Constitutions of 1987, the whole mystery of the Blessed Virgin Mary is proposed for the contemplation. According to the secular tradition of the order, some of the following aspects are very much highlighted: – The incarnation of the Word, a great event in which the Servites contemplate the holy Virgin of annunciation who gives her “fiat” (cf. Lk 1, 38), as a humble and faithful servant of the Lord. And it is from her that the Servites learn “to welcome the Word of God and to be attentive to the call of the Spirit.” – The role of Mary taking part in her Son’s salvific sufferings (cf. Lk 2, 34-35; Jn. 19, 25-27) inspires the servites to have a special veneration towards Our Lady of Sorrows; – The maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, queen and mother of Mercy, to whom her Servants appeal and whose merciful love they strive to live out in their life; – Her glorification in heaven being close to her Son, by which she is resplendent as the most glorious Lady to whom the Servites offer their devoted service under her maternal protection. OSSM Rule of Life Article#4

Mercy

Conversion:

In the iconography of the Servants, we find the image of the Mother of mercy as one who welcomes her servants and protects them from every physical and spiritual evil, imploring graces and mercy from her Son; but in this piety of the Servants of Mary, we recognize a constant internal process which calls for Conversion which is understood as our constant effort to come back to God and our day-to-day progress in our spiritual journey based on the Gospel values. And conversion is a component characteristic of the spirituality of the Servants.

Mystery of the Redemption:

In the Constitutions of the Order, we find an epilogue that synthesizes the figure of the Mother of God in the mystery of the Redemption: “In our commitment of service, the figure of Mary at the feet of the Cross shall be our model. Since the Son of Man is still being crucified in his brothers and sisters, we, Servants of his mother, wish to be with her at the foot of those countless crosses in order to bring comfort and redemptive co-operation.” OSSM Rule Of Life Article#2

The Secular Order Rule of Life is rooted in the Constitutions of the Servite friars.

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