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Legenda De Origine
HOW AFTER THE ENTRANCEOF BLESSED PHILIP INTO THE ORDER,PRIVILEGES WERE OBTAINED ONE AFTER THE OTHER;AND HOW HE WAS UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED GENERAL


56. From that moment on, the growth of our Order was to be dependent on the virtue of blessed Philip. When benefits began to come to the friars at the very same time as he entered the Order, the truth of this fact became obvious to everyone. As we saw earlier, it was at the same time and in the same province and city in which blessed Philip was born that Our Lady had brought our fathers together in order to form, through their unity, a new spiritual house. This Philip, now come of age, was to light up that house by his word and example, like a lamp put on a stand within it[130]. He was to be the model and the legislator of how in the future the friars of our Order were to serve Our Lady worthily.
Immediately after blessed Philip´s admission, and fortified by his virtue, the friars approached the Roman Curia, which was at that time in Naples, and obtained from Pope Alexander IV, then in the first year of his pontificate, the Order´s first privilege. It allowed them to build on all their properties the necessary buildings, oratory and bell tower, as well as to establish a cemetery[131].We can see therefore how much good blessed Philip´s prayers brought to the Order from the very first moment he entered.
We should mention that before Philip´s entrance into their community, our friars had many properties of their own but they were not yet allowed to build oratories or bell towers, nor establish cemeteries on them. And although they had set up altars for their own spiritual needs in their houses, with diocesan approval, they were not yet able to do so by virtue of any apostolic privilege. Now however they were given this authority, not only for the places they already occupied but for all their places all over the world in the future.
  1. Wanting to keep his learning hidden, blessed Philip had sought admission to our Order as a lay brother and he lived for almost four full years in the habit of a lay brother. None of the friars believed him to be anything else. Of its nature, however, a light cannot long remain hidden, but makes its brightness seen. And so, as I hope Our Lady will help me describe it in his own Legenda, the extent of Philip´s learning came to be revealed by Our Lady. Side by side with his progress before God and men[132], our Order found itself growing in a natural way too, from good to better. At the same time that Philip´s learning became public, that is, in 1258, our friars went again to the Curia, then at Anagni, and obtained another privilege from the same Pope Alexander IV, now in the fourth year of his pontificate. This allowed them to accept for burial whoever chose to be buried on their properties[133]. This second privilege presupposes and confirms the first, that is, the one that originally allowed our friars to possess ecclesiastical property with oratory, bell tower and cemetery. It extended the scope of the first privilege for the benefit of the laity and confirmed that the properties we held were indeed ecclesiastical.


    2. 58. Although Our Lady, through the merits of blessed Philip, had now provided the friars of our Order this first privilege regarding the building of places and the second regarding the burial on our properties of those who requested it.

    There still remained the fact that they did not have apostolic authority to convene a general chapter and elect a prior general during it. Ever since they had received the habit and rule from Our Lady through blessed Peter Martyr they had held chapters whenever necessary. In their pious simplicity and ignorance of the law, they had elected priors general in these chapters, going each time to the Curia to have the election confirmed. But now the time was approaching when Our Lady intended to put blessed Philip on the lamp stand which is our Order. It would be essential that by the time of his election the friars of our Order already have apostolic approval to hold chapters and there to elect generals with power to correct friars and to do all the other things that pertain to this office. For that reason, Our Lady conferred on the Order another favor, broader in scope than the earlier ones, through the merits of blessed Philip. This took place about the time that Philip, despite his unwillingness, was promoted to the priesthood.

  2. It was the year of the Lord 1263, the second of the pontificate of Pope Urban IV, and blessed Philip had already been ordained a priest. Fra James of Siena[134], elected prior general by the friars in a general chapter, went to the Curia with some of the other friars of our Order to be confirmed in office.
At that time the cardinal protector of our Order was Ottobuono of Genoa[135], titular of Saint Adrian´s. He knew well that our friars had never received the privilege even to convene a chapter for electing a prior general, but he also knew they were men of great sanctity. Inspired by Our Lady (the merits of blessed Philip were also at work), Cardinal Ottobuono decided that this was the time to obtain from the Pope this privilege for our Order.
Therefore, when our friars appeared in the consistory and were kneeling before the Supreme Pontiff and the cardinals to ask this privilege, Cardinal Ottobuono earnestly begged the Pope to grant it. The Pope replied that giving such a privilege was the same as approving a new Order. When he heard this, the cardinal answered, "Upon my soul, my lord, grant this privilege to these friars; for, from what I have seen of their sanctity, they are entirely worthy of such generosity on your part". Then, when all the other cardinals rose to their feet and asked that the privilege be given for love of Our Lady and respect for Ottobuono, the Supreme Pontiff replied, "Because my lord Ottobuono says he has such absolute proof of the sanctity of these friars, it is my will, for love of the Virgin Mary whose Servants they are commonly called, that they receive this favor".
Now, before our friars rose to leave the presence of the Pope and cardinals, Fra James of Siena was specifically confirmed in office by Pope Urban himself. Although the Pope had approved their petition, this act made even more graphic the favor he had granted. Thus James obtained the singular grace of being the first prior general to be confirmed by the Supreme Pontiff[136].
  1. The Lord rewarded Cardinal Ottobuono even in his lifetime for the favor he did in asking this privilege for us, for three years later, on the death of Pope Urban IV in 1266, he was unanimously elected Supreme Pontiff by all the cardinals and took the name Adrian V. But "lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul"[137] if he remained long in such a high position, the Lord brought his life to an end quickly. So, after a pontificate of only one month he was taken by the Lord to receive his reward for the favors and good he had done.
  2. After he had obtained the privilege referred to above, Fra James of Siena governed the Order very well for two years. After him, Fra Manettus of Florence was elected; it was the year of the Lord 1265, the first of the pontificate of Pope Clement IV[138]. Fra Manettus was a very holy and devout man, handsome and refined[139]. For confirmation in office he went to the Curia, which at that time was at Perugia.
But after two years of governing the Order in a very holy way, he resigned and blessed Philip was unanimously elected prior general of our Order. It was therefore in 1267, the third year of the pontificate of Pope Clement IV that blessed Philip was elected. He went to the Curia, then at Orvieto, and was with due honor confirmed in office by Pope Clement.
With the help of God we hope to write also blessed Philip´s own Legenda. There we will describe how he was elected, for how long and in what way he governed the Order once he had been confirmed as general; and finally, how he died.
62. Praise to the blessed and glorious Virgin Mary. It has now been shown how our Order began and how it grew until the moment blessed Philip was put at its head. To the praise and honor of the same Virgin Mary and with her help, this work has been completed. We proceed now to narrate the life of blessed Philip as we promised earlier[140].
To the praise of the Virgin Mary here ends the Legenda of the origin of the Order
of Friar Servants of the Virgin Mary. Thanks be to God. Amen[141].
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