Statute - (Campania)

Brotherhood of the Servants of Mary

It is known that in Sorrento already in the 13th century there were many lay associations, the Confraternities, born after the Council of Trent, thanks to their autonomous character, even if controlled by the hierarchy. The last Confraternity to be erected in Sorrento was the Venerable Congregation of the Servants of Mary, founded by the parish priest of the Cathedral, Canon Francesco Anton Rocco, later appointed Bishop of Capri by Benedict XIV. The Congregation had the purpose of bringing together the children of the city of Sorrento under the title of "Children or Slaves of Mary" in a pious institution. It was canonically recognized by the Archbishop of Sorrento, Mons. Filippo Anastasio, on 1 August 1717, based in the small chapel of S. Barnaba.

Pope Innocent XIII with a Bull of 1723 recognized and enriched the Congregation with many indulgences. Like all the Confraternities of the Kingdom of Naples, the Statute and the Rules were also approved by King Ferdinand II on 2 August 1776.

The Confraternity of the Servants of Mary counts among its confreres all the Archbishops who have alternated on the Chair of Sorrento since 1717.