"Regnum Mariae" began in 1959 within the youth group of the Secular Order of the Servants of Mary, belonging to the parish of the Sacred Heart of Ancona (Italy). Since the beginning, it recognized itself fully in the life-style of Secular Institutes approved by the Constitution Provida Mater Ecclesia, promulgated by Pius XII on February 2, 1947. The name "Regnum Mariae" was chosen within the context and the historical background of the proclamation of the Dogma of the Assumption of Mary.
The small group of three people, led by the Religious Assistant, a Friar Servant of Mary and corrector of the Third Order (as then was called), was soon joined by other young girls from various cities in Italy eager to share the same life project. |
In 1970 the group, urged by the climate of conciliar renewal, after a year of intense study and careful research, celebrated the first General Assembly, drew up its first Rule of Life and elected their own sisters in charge.
In the years between 1970’s to 1980’s the Sisters of Regnum Mariae, with the support of the Prior General of the Servants of Mary, and with the wise guidance of the then General Religious Assistant, started the path toward legal recognition of the group. In 1976, Regnum Mariae was aggregated to the Order of the Servants of Mary as it has tried to live the same spirituality in a secular life-style, according to its constitutions. |
In 1983, after gaining the permission of the Sacred Congregation for Consecrated Life, it was erected as a Secular Institute of Diocesan Right by the Archbishop of Ancona.
The sisters of Regnum Mariae, through achieving institutional stability, have continued to grow in the awareness of their own identity and of the specific mission of secular consecration living with enthusiasm the commitment in the world, the communion and collaboration with other Secular Institutes, with the Servite Family and with all those organizations devoted to human promotion and evangelization. |
The Institute spread initially in various regions of Italy (Friuli, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo, Puglia, Basilicata, Sicily) and from the 90’s onwards in other countries. The opening at the international level took place after long and extensive studies, debates in Assembly and discernment of situations, events and requests as they arrived. So the presence of Regnum Mariae began to grow slowly in Spain (Valencia), Mexico (Mexico City), the Philippines (Manila and Bay-Bay on the island of Leyte), the USA (California), Uganda (Kampala and Jinja) and Colombia (Medellin), and we have candidates in formation in India (Chennai and Trichy). Since 2019 we have a sister in England (Wolverhampton) who is in the process of passage from another secular institute to ours.
The members of the Institute follow Christ with the profession of the Evangelical Counsels, assumed through the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, lived in the world, in common daily activities, at the service of the Church and of all men and women of our time, and bear witness to the Gospel in the footsteps of Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus, humble servant and glorious woman, called to share the kingship of the Son. |