Saint Sylvester Gozzolini

At the sight of the corpse of a man once renowned for his beauty, he made this reflection: "I am what he was; what I am now he will be." Then, remembering this word of the Lord: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me," he left Osimo secretly and withdrew to a desert located thirty miles from that city. He was then forty years old. The life he led was very austere; always in fasting and vigils, he fed only on raw herbs. Several times he changed his retreat to better hide from the eyes of men; finally, he stopped at Monte-Fano. A place then deserted, although near Fabriano, he built a monastery there in 1231, submitted it to the Rule of Saint Benedict, and gave his disciples the habit that was shown to him in a vision. Such was the origin of the Congregation of the Sylvestrine religious. The holy abbot experienced the jealousy of Satan, who began to frighten the inhabitants of the monastery by violently shaking the doors during the night. But the man of God, having repelled the attacks of the enemy, acquired a reputation for holiness that confirmed his disciples more than ever in their holy vocation. Pope Innocent IV approved the new institute in 1248. The Order of the Sylvestrines spread rapidly, and it had twenty-five houses in Italy when it lost its blessed Father. Saint Sylvester died on November 26, 1267, at the age of ninety. Several miracl Saint Sylvestre Founder of the Sylvestrine congregation. es occurred at his tomb.

Here are the constitutions of the Order. The religious rise at night to say Matins, but at various times, according to different reasons. On holidays and simple feast days, besides the great office, they also say the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin in the choir; after Prime, the litanies of the Saints; the conventual Mass is sung after Terce. It is followed by Sext. None is said after dinner. They hold a spiritual conference after Vespers, and after Compline an hour of prayer, which being finished, they retire to the dormitory. They meet every day in the chapter, take the discipline privately one day of the week, and in common every Friday; during Advent and Lent they take it twice a week privately and on Wednesdays and Fridays in common. The use of meat is forbidden to them, unless they are sick. They eat twice a day from Easter until the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and from Christmas until Ash Wednesday. Eggs and dairy products are then permitted to them, except on Fridays and fasts ordered by the Church. They also fast every day from the feast of the Holy Cross until Easter, except on Christmas Day and the feast of Saint Sylvester; the superior may dispense them on solemn feast days, outside the time of Advent and Lent. It is not permitted for them to eat eggs and dairy products on the days they fast: they are even obliged while traveling to the fasts of the Rule, unless for reasons of infirmity or long journeys.

As for the clothing of these religious, it consists of a robe and a fairly wide scapular, to which a hood is attached. In the choir and through the city, they wear a large cowl in the manner of other Benedictines, all of a Turkish blue color; and when the weather is bad or they go out alone, they are sometimes permitted to wear a large cloak in the manner of ecclesiastics. They have only serge shirts; their collar and cuffs are also only of white serge. The General is dressed in violet. He wears the mantellet and the mozzetta in the manner of the prelates of Rome. He uses pontifical ornaments and may confer minor orders upon his religious. The other abbots may also officiate pontifically in their monasteries three times a year. They are perpetual, but they cannot be superiors in the same monastery for more than four years. Besides the general chapter, a general diet is also held every two years, in which the superiors who have finished their term of office are changed, and the good of the Congregation is provided for.

The Order of the Sylvestrines has as its coat of arms azure with three mountains vert, surmounted by a crozier or, flanked by two rose branches with their flowers.

Proper of Ajaccio supplemented with the Dictionary of Religious Orders, by F r. Hélyot P. Hélyot Author of the Dictionnaire des Ordres religieux. .

Proper of Ajaccio supplemented with the Dictionary of Religious Orders, by Fr. Hélyot.