Pope Leo XIV encouraged the Servants of Mary to deepen their Gospel witness by renewing their commitment to fraternity, service, and Marian devotion, during an audience marking the congregation’s 215th General Chapter in Rome.
According to Vatican News, the Pope told the religious that they “are called to be bearers of friendship and peace,” a mission rooted in their shared founding and their long tradition of community life. He praised them for their fidelity to the Church and urged them to draw strength from the Rule of St. Augustine, which he described as “the ‘exegetical key’ with which, with the help of the Spirit, to read and interpret what the Word of God says to you.”
The Holy Father highlighted that the Servants of Mary were not founded by a single individual but by a group of companions united in Christ. This shared foundation, he said, gives their charism a particular relevance in a world fractured by cultural, economic, racial, and religious divisions. “In a world like ours,” he said, “this is a sign of a particular task and vocation: to live and bring fraternity, especially where people are divided because of conflicts, wealth, cultural differences, race, or religion.”
The Pope pointed to the example of the Seven Holy Founders, noting that they lived out this vocation in a similarly divided era. “In all these contexts,” he explained, “you are called to be bearers of friendship and peace, as were the ‘Seven,’ who, in their own cities—also divided by fratricidal hatred—became bearers of reconciliation and charity,” according to Vatican News.
Reflecting on the heart of the Christian vocation, Pope Leo said that “life according to the Gospel entails a passion for God and for the human person, which leads to loving heaven and earth with the same intensity.” Only in this unity, he noted, does a religious community discern the right choices that lead them to where “the brother or sister is most wounded, where the Lord wants us.”
He encouraged the order’s continued service to the poor, including migrants, prisoners, and the sick, and affirmed their efforts in promoting “an integral ecology in the protection of creation and of persons in the places where they work,” according to the Vatican News report.
Pope Leo also emphasized the congregation’s deep Marian spirituality, urging them to nourish their devotion to the Mother of God. Before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, he prayed that Mary—“present at the Cross, strong and faithful”—would teach them how to remain near “the innumerable crosses where Christ still suffers in his brothers and sisters, in order to bring them comfort, communion, help, and the precious bread of affection.”
The Pope concluded by entrusting their ministry to Mary’s guidance, encouraging them to continue building communities of healing, reconciliation, and Gospel charity.
Your support brings the truth to the world.
Catholic Online News exists because of donors like you. We are 100% funded by people who believe the world deserves real, uncensored news rooted in faith and truth — not corporate agendas. Your gift ensures millions can continue to access the news they can trust — stories that defend life, faith, family, and freedom.
When truth is silenced, your support speaks louder.
