When Pope Benedict XI approved the Order of Servants of Mary in 1304, Saint Alexis Falconieri was the last of the seven founders still alive. Alexis came from a wealthy Florentine family. He joined the Laudesi, also known as the Praisers of Mary, a confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Florence around 1225. It was while in this group that he met the others who founded the Servite Order. He received a vision of Mary on August 15, 1233. The other members of the Laudesi were ordained, but he felt unworthy, so he remained a lay brother and he worked to make sure the community was set with all material and financial requirements. He often begged on the streets. He died on February 17, 1310 in Monte Sennario, Italy. He and the six other founders were canonized on January 15, 1887 by Pope Leo XIII.
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