Priory System
Fostering a sense of community at the College.
Our Priory system
A Place For Every Child
The Priory system is an important aspect of Servite College life. Throughout the year, students have the opportunity to earn points for their Priory through various sporting and academic activities with the winning Priory earning the Priory Shield. Being part of a Priory also ensures that every student belongs to a pastoral group that furthers their connection to our Catholic ethos. At Servite, all students and staff belong to one of six Priories (house/faction):
- Annunziata (Yellow)
- Senario (Black)
- San Clemente (Green)
- Saint Mary (Blue)
- Our Lady of Sorrows (Purple)
- Saint Anthony (Red)
The Servite Friars’ Pilgrimage took them away from Florence to Siena, London, Chicago and eventually in the 1950s to Australia. They established the San Clemente (Siena), Saint Mary (London), Our Lady of Sorrows (Chicago) and the Saint Anthony (Wanneroo) Priories. This journey reminds us that we, as Servites, are called to ‘reach out to all’.
Annunziata
We are called to respond to God’s call to serve others.
This priory was founded around the year 1250 on the very spot where the Seven Holy Founders began their life together. This place was originally outside the city walls and was known as Cafaggio. Down through the centuries, this priory has been enlarged and embellished. Here the Arts and the Sciences were encouraged and flourished under the patronage of the friars. The Priory of Annunciation (Convento Santissima Annunziata) has always been the seat of the Tuscan Province, and the Motherhouse of the Servite Order. The Annunziata was designated a parish in 1787 and was created a Minor Basilica in 1805 by Pope Pius VIII.
Senario
We are called to prayer and reflection.
Monte Senario is the ‘Cradle’ of the Servite Order. When the Seven Holy Fathers withdrew from the city of Florence, it was to Monte Senario that they went. Bonfilius (one of the Seven Founders) was the first Prior of Monte Senario. The early friars lived here beside an Oratory dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The Oratory now forms a part of the large church which is within the priory. It was at Monte Senario that the Servite Order received the first official recognition of its existence in a letter dated 13th March 1249. It came from the Papal Legate and was addressed to the ‘Prior and Friars of St Mary of Monte Senario who are called the Servants of Saint Mary’.
San Clemente
We are called to serve those in need.
In 1251 the city of Siena paid for 20,000 bricks for the Servants of Saint Mary which were to be used in the construction of their new church. This church was dedicated to Saint Clemente. It is still standing and is still the parish church. It is the oldest existing community of friars outside of Florence. At one time, Saint Alexis (one of the Founders) lived there, as did Saint Peregrine and Blessed Francis and Blessed Joachim. As in Florence, the Arts flourished here, and this church is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the Order. The foundation of this community in the mid 13th century marked the beginning of the expansion of the Servite Friars.
Saint Mary
We are called to follow in Mary’s footsteps and respond to God’s call to serve others.
In 1864, two Italian friars arrived in London to begin a new Servite foundation. They were Fathers Philip M Bosio and Austin M Morini. Father Morini was later to go on to the USA and make a foundation of the Order in that country. In 1873, the friars purchased some land and the building of a church and priory began. The new church was consecrated in 1875 under the patronage of Saint Mary the Virgin. Saint Mary’s marked the beginning of what was eventually to become the English Province. This foundation was the first permanent foundation of the Servite Order outside of continental Europe. It was done at a time when the Order had less than 300 members and it was done as an act of faith in the future of the Order.
Our Lady Of Sorrows
We are called to support those who suffer in the world.
The first permanent foundation of the Servite Friars in the USA was made by Father Austin M Morini in 1870 (this is the same Father Morini mentioned in the foundation of Saint Mary’s, London). In 1874, the parish and Priory dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows was founded in Chicago. In 1958, Our Lady of Sorrows was named a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII. It was here that in 1937, Father James Mary Keane (the founder of the Order in Australia) began the Sorrowful Mother Novena. This Novena spread throughout the USA and even to Australia. Our Lady of Sorrows is looked upon as the Motherhouse of the USA province. It was from this community that the friars left for California in 1958 to begin a new high school at Anaheim.
Saint Anthony
We are pilgrims on life’s journey and like the Friars who left Italy to found Priories around the world, we are called to reach out to all and tell them about our calling as Servants of Mary.
The Servite friars look upon Father James Mary Keane as their founder in Australia. He arrived in Perth in 1951 and in December of that year, he accepted, on behalf of the Order, the care of Saint Anthony’s Parish, Wanneroo. A Priory was built there in 1952 and this became the Motherhouse of the Australian Servite Foundation. For some years, it was used as the residence for the Sisters of Mercy and later for the Servite Sisters who taught in the Parish school.
Experience A Day In The Life At Servite College
We invite you to explore our community, our campus and our curriculum in action during our two annual Open Days in March and September.
