Daybreak

Saturday after Ash Wednesday Commemoration of the Seven Founders of the Servite Order; in 1240, seven noblemen of Florence mutually decided to withdraw from the city to a solitary place for prayer and direct service of God; in 1244, they adopted a religious habit similar to the Dominican habit, choosing to live under the Rule of St. Augustine and adopting the name of the Servants of Mary; they came to the United States from Austria in 1852 and settled in New York and later in Philadelphia; members combined monastic life and active ministry Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 2/17/24 Gospel: Luke 5:27-32