Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca

The Clerics Regular of the Mother of God (Latin: Clerici regulari a Mater Dei) are a Roman Catholic Religious Order of priests, dedicated to education and pastoral care. The Order was founded by St. John Leonardi, who worked with this community to spread devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as the Forty Hours devotion, and frequent reception of the Blessed Sacrament. Its members use the suffix of O.M.D.

Leonardi, son of middle-class parents, who was born in 1541 at Diecimo in the Republic of Lucca. He was ordained on December 22, 1572.

Leonardi's Order may be said to have begun in 1574. Two or three young laymen, attracted by his sanctity and the sweetness of his character, had gathered round him to submit themselves to his spiritual guidance and help him in the work for the reform of manners and the saving of souls which he had begun even as a layman. Leonardi rented the Church of Santa Maria della Rosa in Lucca and, in a quarter close by, something like community life was started. It was here, when it became evident that his lay helpers were preparing for the priesthood and that something like a religious order was in process of formation, that a storm of persecution broke out against the devoted founder. The leaders of the Republic or Lucca seem to have had a real fear that a native religious order, if spread over Italy, would cause the affairs of the little state to become too well known to its neighbours. The persecution, however, was so effective and lasting, that Leonardi practically spent the rest of his life in banished from Lucca, only being now and again admitted by special decree of the Senate, unwillingly extracted under papal pressure. In 1580 Giovanni acquired secretly the ancient Church of Santa Maria Cortelandini (popularly known as Santa Maria Nera) which the Order holds to this day.

In 1583, the congregation was canonically erected at the instigation of Pope Gregory XIII by Alessandro Guidiccioni, Bishop of Lucca, and confirmed by the papal Brief of Clement VIII "Ex quo divina majestas", 13 October 1595. The congregation at this time only took simple vows of chastity, perseverance, and obedience, and was known as the Congregation of Clerics Secular of the Blessed Virgin.

...
Wikipedia