World

SAINT PROFILE: JULIANA OF FALCONIERI

1270–1341; Feast: June 19

By CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE     6/22/2016

Juliana was the only child of a wealthy couple in Florence, Italy, who had built the church of the Annunciation there. She refused to marry and was enrolled as a tertiary with the Servite order; her uncle, St. Alexis Falconieri, was one of the seven founders of the Servites. For nearly 20 years, Juliana lived a devout and useful life at home. In 1304 she formed a community of tertiary sisters who devoted themselves to prayer and good works in Florence. She is considered the foundress of the Servite community of nuns, and was canonized in 1737.