She was born the only child of a wealthy Florentine noble family of Chiarissimo and Riguirdata Falconieri. She is the niece of Saint Alexis Falconieri. Her father died while Juliana was very young, and her saintly uncle Alexis had a great influence on her. Her life was plagued with chronic gastric problems.
Legend says she never gazed into a mirror, never looked at a man’s face, trembled at the mention of sin, and fainted upon hearing scandalous gossip. Juliana refused an arranged marriage at age 14. She became a Servite tertiary in 1285, taking the habit from her spiritual director, Saint Philip Benizi. She helped form and served as the first superior of the Servite Order of Mary (Servite Nuns, the Mantellate Servites), which was formally established in 1304, and their first convent founded in 1305.
At her death, unable to receive Holy Communion because of constant vomiting, she requested the priest to spread a corporal upon her breast and lay the Host on it. Soon after, the Host disappeared, Juliana died, and the image of the cross that had been on the Host was found on her breast.
The Servite Order was approved by Pope Martin V in the year 1420. Pope Benedict XIII recognized the devotion long paid to her and granted the Servites permission to celebrate the feast of the Blessed Juliana. Pope Clement XII canonized her in the year 1737 and extended the celebration of her feast day (June 19) to the entire Church.
Collect:
God, You miraculously nourished the blessed virgin Juliana by the Precious Body of Your Son, when she was on the point of death. May we likewise be comforted and strengthened at our last hour and brought safely to our heavenly home through the merits of this saint.
1 comment(s):
A comment shared via Twitter by Sr Marie Augustine SSVC:
Good Day. Thank you for your interest in the Female Servants of Mary, our Foundress, St Juliana Falconieri. Your post needs a bit of editing. She first founded the Mantellate Sisters at only 18, but she began living the life of a religious at 15 years of age. A short time Later, when she had many followers and women who had joined her, she founded the Third Order of Sisters, Servants of Mary. They were not tertiary. The First Order are the Priests, The Second Order are the Nuns (like monks, monastic and cloistered) the Third Order are Active Sisters (like myself) who are contemplative but also assist the sick/dying (palliative care, exactly what St Juliana and her Sisters did). She took the habit from St Philip Benizi (our first superior general) and made her final vows to him. Her Mother, remembering that her holy daughter St Juliana whispered the names of Jesus and Mary from her crib, also joined her Holy Order and was subject to her holy instructions. Near the end of her life, St Juliana suffered from stomach ailments and was unable to receive the mist holy Eucharist. In her deathbed, knowing she could not receive the holy Viaticum, she asked the priest to place the Corporal on her chest, over her heart and lay the Homy Eucharist on the corporal. The priest indulged her and immediately, the Blessed Sacrament disappeared into the Corporal and St Juliana breathed her last, as her Beloved had infused Himself into her heart.
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