SERVAZIO

**SERVAZIUS, Saint.**

Bishop of Tongres in the 4th century, commemorated in the *Martyrologium Hieronymianum* on 13 May.

Praised by St Gregory of Tours as a man of piety wholly devoted to prayer and penance, Servatius was already bishop of Tongres in 346, since in that year he adhered to the decisions of the Council of Sardica in favour of St Athanasius. In 350 he was sent as legate by the Emperor Magnentius to Constantius and on that occasion met St Athanasius at Alexandria. Firmly attached to the Nicene faith, he took part in 359 in the Council of Rimini, where, with a few others, he resisted the machinations of the Arians backed by the prefect Taurus; deceived, however, by a cunning trick of Ursacius and Valens, he finally consented to sign the homoian formula of the Council. The date of his death is unknown; that of 384 has no foundation. In the 6th century his body was venerated in a church built in his honour at Maastricht.

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SERVE.

A common designation for many female religious congregations, followed by other determining titles.

**I. S. DEI POVERI (Angers).**
Founded at Angers in 1874 by Fr Camillus Leduc, a Benedictine of Solesmes. Aim: to care gratuitously for the poor at home, to direct girls’ patronages, dispensaries, etc. Decree of praise in 1887; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1912, definitive in 1928. In 1949 the sisters numbered 304; mother-house at Angers (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, A. 27).

**II. S. DEL CUORE DI GESÙ DI SAINT-QUENTIN (Metz).**
Founded at Strasbourg in 1865 by Maria Oliva Ulrich, but later transferred, following the Prussian persecution (Kulturkampf), to St-Quentin. Aim: eucharistic reparation combined with charitable works: care of the sick, direction of girls’ orphanages, boarding-houses for young ladies. Decree of praise in 1903; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1910, definitive in 1931. At present they have 7 houses with 166 sisters (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, S. 10; M. Heimbucher, Die Orden u. Kongreg. der kath. Kirche, II, 3rd ed. Paderborn 1934, p. 430).

**III. S. DELLA BEATA VERGINE MARIA ANNUNZIATA (Sabaria).**
Formerly the Daughters of Mercy of St Vincent de Paul, established in 1915 at Sabaria (Hungary) and erected in 1924 into an autonomous congregation by Bp Giovanni Mikes. Aim: care of the sick in hospitals and direction of domestic services in ecclesiastical institutions. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1924, definitive in 1942. In 1941 there were 19 houses with 202 sisters (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, S. 62).

**IV. S. DELL'IMMACOLATA CONCEZIONE DELLA MADRE DI DIO (Tarnovia).**
Founded in 1850 at Podzecza (diocese of Gnesen, Poland) by Edmund Bojanowski and transferred in 1882, because of the Prussian persecution, to Dębica (Tarnovia). Aim: care of the sick; care of children, and service in sacristies and churches. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1929, definitive in 1937. In 1949 there were 314 sisters in 82 houses (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, T. 40; M. Heimbucher, op. cit., II, pp. 537-38).

**V. S. DELLA SANTA INFANZIA DI GESÙ (Würzburg).**
Founded in 1895 at Oberzell (diocese of Würzburg) by Antonia Werr. Aim: re-education of fallen or endangered girls and other charitable works. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1936, definitive in 1948. At present there are 139 houses with 1,096 sisters (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, V. 104; F. Schuck, Kloster Oberzell: Gründung u. Entwicklung der Kongreg. der Dienerinnen der hl. Kindheit Jesu, Würzburg 1932).

**VI. S. DELLO SPIRITO SANTO (Steyl).**
Founded in 1889 at Steyl (diocese of Rurermonda, Holland) by Fr Arnold Janssen together with Mothers Maria Stollenwerk and Josepha Stennanns. Aim: to assist the propagation of the faith in the missions, particularly those conducted by the Missionaries of the Divine Word and later also in territories where the faith was most imperilled. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1925, definitive in 1938; revision in 1950. At present the sisters number 400 (cf. anon., Uno sguardo nella Congregazione missionaria delle S. dello Spirito Santo, Mödling 1950).

**VII. S. DELLO SPIRITO SANTO DELL'ADORAZIONE PERPETUA (Rurermonda).**
Founded in 1889 at Steyl (diocese of Rurermonda) by Fr Arnold Janssen. Aim: devoted to the contemplative life, they cooperate through a life of mental prayer and perpetual adoration with the apostolate of missionaries, especially of the two missionary congregations founded by the same Fr Janssen. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1933. In 1950 the sisters numbered 266 in 9 houses (cf. Arch. of the Congr. of Religious, R. 79; A. Freitag, Tabernakelwacht und Weltmission, Steyl 1921; M. Heimbucher, op. cit., II, p. 409).

**VIII. S. DELLO SPIRITO SANTO DI MARIA IMMACOLATA (San Antonio, Texas).**
Founded at San Antonio, Texas, in 1883 by Margaret Mary Hely, widow Murphy. Aim: Christian education of youth with special regard for the poorer classes and negroes; charitable works, such as care of the sick in hospitals and at home. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1938. In 1939 they opened houses with 165 sisters (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, A. 61).

**IX. S. DEL SACRO CUORE DI GESÙ (Versailles).**
Founded in Paris in 1866 by Fr Victor Braun. Aim: care of the sick, especially the poor, even at home; education of orphans and endangered girls. Decree of praise in 1899; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1934. There are 65 houses with 652 sisters (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, V. 50; M. Heimbucher, op. cit., II, pp. 545-46).

**X. S. DEL SACRO CUORE DI GESÙ (Vienna).**
The same as the S. of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Versailles, which were introduced into Vienna in 1883 by the same founder and formed in 1893 an independent province, approved by the Holy See in 1896. Decree of praise in 1900; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1926, definitive in 1934. At present there are 54 houses with 1,079 sisters (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, V. 51; M. Heimbucher, op. cit., II, p. 546).

**XI. S. DEL SACRO CUORE DI GESÙ DI RAGUSA (Siracusa).**
Founded at Ragusa in 1889 by Maria Schininà of Arezzo. Aim: exercise of spiritual and temporal works of mercy. Decree and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1936, definitive in 1946. There are 27 houses with 261 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Congr. of Religious, S. 68).

**XII. S. DEL SACRO CUORE DI GESÙ E DEI POVERI (Angelopoli, or Puebla de Los Angeles, Mexico).**
Founded in 1885 in the diocese of León (Mexico) by Fr Giuseppe Yermo y Parres. Aim: care of the sick and education of girls, especially orphans. Decree of praise in 1907; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1910, definitive in 1925. There are 38 houses with 451 sisters (cf. Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, A. 36).

### XIII. SISTERS OF THE HOLY HEART OF MARY (Versailles)
Founded in Paris in 1860 by Fr. Delaplace of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Purpose: Christian education of youth, with particular regard for the poor; assistance to the elderly and the poor. Forced in 1902 to leave France, they settled in North America. Decree of praise in 1902; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1914, definitive in 1932. There are currently 73 houses with 944 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, P. 54).

### XIV. SISTERS OF THE HOLY HEART OF MARY IMMACULATE (Montpellier)
Founded in Béziers (diocese of Montpellier) in 1848 by Fr. Pietro Gailhac. Purpose: assistance to young women, management of orphanages, in the case of young converts, houses of perseverance, and boarding schools. For repentant young women desirous of embracing religious life, the Institute of the Oblates of Mary Most Holy was founded, with annual vows. Decree of praise in 1873; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1889; definitive in 1925. There are currently 59 houses with 1,282 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, M. 30).

### XV. SISTERS OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST (Caracas)
Founded in 1881 in Caracas by Fr. G. B. Castro. Purpose: dedication to contemplative life and perpetual adoration; they also prepare children for First Communion and make sacred vestments. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1930, definitive in 1931. There are currently 11 houses with 145 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, C. 66).

### XVI. SISTERS OF JESUS (Warsaw)
Founded in Warsaw in 1884 by the Capuchin Honoratus Koźmiński; aggregated to the Third Order of the Capuchins, they wear secular dress. Purpose: material and moral protection of domestic servants. Decree of praise in 1907; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1908; definitive in 1924. In 1939, there were 14 houses with 295 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, V. 62).

### XVII. SISTERS OF JESUS OF CHARITY (Vittoria)
Founded in 1871 in Bilbao by Sister Giuseppina Maria del Sacro Cuore di Gesù Sánchez. Purpose: care of the sick in hospitals and at home, and care of abandoned children in foundling homes. Decree of praise in 1880; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1927, definitive in 1937. There are 55 houses with 1,108 sisters.

### XVIII. SISTERS OF JESUS AND MARY (Ottawa)
Founded in Masson (diocese of Ottawa) in 1894 by Fr. Alexis Louis Mangin and Eleonora Potvin. Of the two classes into which they are divided—choir sisters and auxiliaries—the latter are subdivided into “interior” and “exterior.” Purpose: perpetual adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1936, definitive in 1949. There are currently 4 houses with 162 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, O. 11; S. H. Barabé, *Une pierre d'angle, mère Marie Zita de Jésus, fondatrice des Servantes de Jésus-Marie*, Hull-Ottawa 1945).

### XIX. AUGUSTINIAN SISTERS OF JESUS AND MARY (Rome)
Founded in Frosinone in 1827 by Teresa Spinelli and affiliated with the Third Order of the Augustinian Hermits. Purpose: education of young women in boarding schools, day schools, orphanages, and pensions, and cooperation with parish priests for catechists and Catholic Action. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1902, definitive in 1936. There are currently 21 houses with 200 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, V. 55; anon., *La Congregazione delle Suore Agostiniane S. di Gesù e Maria*, Rome 1950).

### XX. SISTERS OF JESUS IN THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT (Toulouse)
Founded in 1875 in Toulouse by Onésime Quibert. Purpose: to promote Eucharistic worship and reparation. In addition to the two classes of choir sisters and coadjutors, there is a third class: the “auxiliaries,” with optional private vows, who remain in the world and seek to fulfill the Institute’s purpose. Decree of praise in 1876; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1936. There are now 15 houses with 135 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, T. 20).

### XXI. SISTERS OF JESUS SACRAMENTED (Buenos Aires)
Founded in Buenos Aires in 1871 by María Benedicta Arias. Purpose: to spread devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament and frequent Communion in schools and in the care of the sick. Decree of praise in 1911; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1928, definitive in 1943. There are now 17 houses with 186 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, B. 78).

### XXII. SISTERS OF JESUS SACRAMENTED (Guadalajara)
Founded in Guadalajara (Mexico) in 1904 by Fr. Silvano Carrillo, later Bishop of Sinaloa. Purpose: Eucharistic adoration and education of youth. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1933, definitive in 1940. There are currently 27 houses with 309 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, G. 44).

### XXIII. SISTERS OF MARY, MINISTERS OF THE SICK (Rome)
Founded in Madrid in 1851 by Bl. María Soledad Torres y Acosta. Purpose: care of the sick in hospitals and at home, and, exceptionally, boarding schools and asylums for the education of youth. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1867, definitive in 1876. There are 102 houses with 2,162 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, T. 52; E. Federici, *La b. María de la Soledad Torres Acosta*, Rome 1950).

### XXIV. SISTERS OF MARY OF OUR LADY OF REFUGE (Bayonne)
Founded in 1836 in Anglet (diocese of Bayonne) by Louis-Édouard Cestac. Purpose: education and instruction of young women in boarding schools, workshops, patronages, rehabilitation centers, and care of the sick. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1870, definitive in 1911, revised in 1923. There are now 94 houses with 644 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, B. 36).

### XXV. SISTERS OF MARY OR MANTELLATE (Westminster)
Founded in 1844 in the diocese of Langres under the direction of Bishop Parisis and aggregated to the Third Order of the Servites. Purpose: special devotion to Our Sorrowful Lady and education of young women in boarding schools and schools. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1864, definitive in 1892, revised in 1924. There are currently 31 houses with 400 religious (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, N. 22).

### XXVI. SISTERS OF MARY REPARATRIX (Adria)
Founded in Vidor (diocese of Vittorio Veneto) by some companions of the Third Order of the Servites and later transferred to Adria. Purpose: devotion to Our Sorrowful Lady, instruction and education of girls in asylums, schools, orphanages, and care of the sick and elderly in hospitals, hospices, and at home. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1931, definitive in 1941. There are now 75 houses with 438 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, A. 62).

### XXVII. SISTERS OF MARY MOST SORROWFUL (Florence)
Founded in Florence by Sister Maria Veronica della Croce. Purpose: education and instruction of young women, especially the poor, through schools, boarding schools, workrooms, asylums, and oratories; assistance in seminaries, refuges, hospitals; management of women’s workshops. Decree of praise in 1913; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1924. There are now 171 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, F. 18).

### XXVIII. SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH (Salamanca)
Founded in 1874 in Salamanca by Fr. Joaquín Hluchy Ganica, later Archbishop of Seville and Cardinal. Purpose: exercise of charitable works and instruction and education of young women; making of sacred vestments, embroidery, and needlework; pensions for ladies and young ladies. Decree of praise in 1901; temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1930, definitive in 1942. There are now 36 houses with over 300 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, S. 21).

XXIX. SISTERS OF THE HOLY HEART OF JESUS (Namur)

Founded in 1857 in the diocese of Grenoble by Mother Veronica of the Heart of Jesus, in the world Caterina Lioger. Purpose: expiation and reparation through a life of contemplation and penance, and external works of zeal: catechisms, work for poor churches and the poor of the parishes, and the work of retreats. Decree of praise and temporary approval of the Constitutions in 1908, definitive in 1931. There are now about 120 sisters (cf. Arch. of the Sacred Congregation of Religious, G. 8).

Candido Bona - Agostino Pugliese