Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 13 : §2.7-10

Chapter 13 : The Twelfth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She safeguards her children at the hour of death and provides them with their passport to Heaven

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré’s Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2. How the Holy Virgin fortifies her children against their natural fear of death 

Blessed John Buonagiunta

 7   Some years before this, Blessed John Buonagiunta departed this world in the year 1257 and his death was no less remarkable in the eyes of God than the two we have just mentioned.  

When he was General of the Order, he had just finished celebrating the holy sacrifice of the Mass one day and, whilst still clad in his priestly vestments, he summoned his dear children, the Servites in the monastery of Monte Senario. Turning to look upon them like another Jacob (the Patriarch), he delivered a long and wonderful sermon to them on the charity which should always shine forth from their souls, the future growth of the Order of the most sacred Virgin and the assurance he had received regarding his approaching death. After that, he began to preach to them concerning the passion of his dear Master, as though he wanted this to be the unique inheritance he would leave them. When he eventually came to the crucifixion, his eyes filled with tears and sighs and groans could be heard, as though coming from the depths of his heart. He was no longer able to speak and it seemed he would join his Saviour on the Cross, for he stretched out his arms and in this position he surrendered his holy soul to God and to his loving Mother whom he had served so worthily. 

Blessed Manettus, Blessed Alexis , Blessed Sostene and Hugh

 8   The deaths of the four remaining founders were in no ways any different. Blessed Manettus, the fourth of the seven and the third General of the Order, departed this world with indescribable spiritual joy in the year 1268. The same may be said of  blessed Alexis who lived for one hundred and ten years and spent seventy of these in the religious life. It is reported that:

As he was dying, the Saviour was seen in the form of a little child placing a strikingly beautiful and precious crown on his head; Angels in the form of birds with feathers as white as snow were seen flying around his body.

The last two of the seven founders, namely blessed Sustene and Hugh, were like the disciples on the road to Emmaus : 

They were making a journey and discussing with each other the wonderful progress Our Lady's Order had been making, the help they had been receiving from her and the glorious deaths of the dear father and companions ; whilst they were imploring their dear Mother to grant them a happy outcome to this life, they heard a voice which seemed to be coming from a great distance, calling to them: 

“Hey, ye men of God! Cease with your lamentations, for soon there will come an end to your labours and you will come to share in the requiescence of your companions.”

These words filled them with a holy terror mixed with joy and astonishment, making them continue on their journey with certain feelings of elation in their hearts. No sooner had they arrived at the monastery in Monte Senario than they were both seized by a fever and, after a few hours, they were called to Heaven where they joined the company of their departed brethren and received the reward for their labours.

This was in the year 1271 and on the very day of their death blessed Philip Benizi had a vision of the Holy Virgin receiving two freshly picked lilies; he understood this as a symbol representing the two aforementioned Fathers, according to the vision which I described in Part I[1]. The following morning he informed his brethren about their death which was later confirmed as taking place at the same time as his vision of the lilies.   

 

Footnotes

[1] Chap. 12, § 7.

Blessed Philip Benizi

 9   I should not omit to mention Philip Benizi[1] since, although he was not one of the seven Founders of the Order, he nevertheless deserves the title of Founder (as I have explained elsewhere[2]) because of the great things he did to establish and advance the same Order.

This saintly man, having learned from the Holy Virgin that he was to die on the very day of her triumphant Assumption, set off towards Todi[3] which is where she had revealed his life would end. The devote residents of Todi, having heard the rumour of his arrival, formed a triumphal procession as though to welcome a Prophet, carrying palms and singing paeans of praise. The humble servant of God, however, carefully avoided the crowds by choosing an alternative route. Providentially, this led him to encounter two prostitutes and God granted him the grace of so touching their hearts that they experienced a conversion after seeing the beauty of chastity which he revealed to them. 

On the eve of the Assumption, he moved the hearts of all those who had come to see him by reason of the feelings of devotion and contrition they experienced at seeing such a holy man shedding penitential tears – as though he had been the greatest sinner in the world. On that same day he received the sacred Viaticum with such devotion that it seemed that he was already partaking of the happiness of the blessed; he predicted several things which were to come and then, having given his blessing to all those present, he asked them to withdraw. The following morning, which was the day of the glorious Assumption of his most gentle Mother, the Servite brethren gathered around him and recited various prayers befitting his condition. There then was heard a voice calling on Philip to leave:  

“My good and faithful servant, since thou hast been faithful in the little that I have entrusted to thee, I am going to grant great things to thee; prithee enter now into the joy of thy Lord.”[4] 

No sooner had these words been spoken, than he surrendered his blessed spirit to God.

Footnotes

[1] The French text refers to him here as Philippe de Tudert. Philip's family name was Benizi, and Tudert may be a reference to Todi where he died. See [3].

[2] Cap. 12, § 7.

[3] The French text has “Tudert, a town near Ancona in the Marche region”; all other authorities consulted locate his death at Todi in Umbria. See e.g., St. Philip Benizi (1233-1285). 

[4] Cf. And he said to him: Well done, thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a little, thou shalt have power over ten cities. Luke xix. 17.

Blessed Joachim of Siena

 10   We can add to these Blessed Joachim who was a native of the city of Siena in Tuscany and had always been very devoted to the MOTHER OF GOD. From a very early age he was in the habit of going every day to pray in front of her image depicting the Annunciation and honouring her every Saturday by fasting on bread and water. 

Having been advised by her to give up all that she possessed in the world, and to enter into the Order of Servites; having been favoured on four different occasions by her apparition and having bequeathed to his whole order can't this examples of virtues which he practised over the period of thirty-three years that he was with the order, finally we see him in the Church of Sienna on Good Friday. They were singing the account of the Passion and came to the words : Et inclinato capite tradidit spiritum[1]. At that moment, he received a warning that the hour of his death was approaching. Shortly afterwards the whole church was suffused with radiant light and when it eventually faded, Blessed Joachim's life on earth had come to an end so that he might ascend into Heaven to rejoice in the sight of his beloved Saviour and his most blessed Mother.  

Footnotes

[1] And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost. John xix. 30.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025