On the feasts of Our Lady it was the custom, for the Fathers to preach sermons about Mary to the people. Apart from this custom, when they had to preach on another topic, they always made several references to Our Lady. This is a custom that reflected norms, which were confirmed several times.
The first norm that is known is from the Prior General John Baptist Rossi. In 1568, in his Compendium of the Constitutions, he ordered under obedience, that all the preachers of the Order in sermons on the Saturdays of Lent, apart from preaching on the particular doctrinal theme, must also say something about the “Lady of our Order" for the edification of the people. The same General, during his visit to the Mantuan Congregation in 1575-6, spread this norm.
Very early, in the General Chapter of 1575, held in Piacenza, that norm was enlarged upon to cover every Saturday of the year Each sermon, in whole or in part, whenever possible, must be about Our Lady.
This norm was continually repeated up to and including the Constitutions of 1625. In 1660 the General Chapter ordered that there be a sermon on the scapular in the churches of the Order on the days reserved for the Confraternities.
In Portugal, in the year 1748, the custom of making reference to Our Lady in all sermons began. The Priors General, during their visits, exhorted all the communities of the Order to follow this practice.
The sermons of Frs. Bartholomew Lantana (+1573) and Andrew Mastelloni (+1722) were often taken as models. In Portugal this practice was highly praised by Fr José Pereira (+1759).
There is also the norm of the General Chapter of 1575, which laid down the custom of invoking Our Lady by praying a “Hail Mary", before beginning any sermon. Cf.:
Hoppenbrouwers, Devotio mariana, pp. 101-102, 103, 105, 108, 128-129, 152.
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