Carissimi: Today’s Mass; St Juliana Falconieri, Virgin

St Juliana Falconieri, Virgin; Commemoration of SS Gervase & Protase, Martyrs:Missa “Dilexísti justítiam”

Juliana was a spirited young woman of Florence who felt drawn to serve God in a radical way. Through her uncle she was attracted to the Servites, first as a tertiary and later became the Superior of the “Mantellate” Servite Sisters.

Juliana was born into the noble Florentine family of the Falconieri in 1270. Her parents had paid for the construction of the Church of L’Annunziata in Florence. Her father died when she was quite young and her uncle Alexis, who shared her upbringing with her mother, was one of the seven founders of the Servite Order, the only one of the founders who did not become a priest.

The Servite order was begun by seven merchants, wealthy young men of Florence, who were disenchanted with the worldly life of the city. They wanted to live a…