 The charism of the institute draws from its founder's childhood experience of a strongly religious household and love for the Virgin Mary, which especially grew from the time of his mother's death, when he was four years old.At the age of seventeen, Lanteri was drawn to what he called "silence and seclusion," which prompted him to enter the Carthusians.Though he left after eight days, due to frail health, his desire for this lifestyle remained and also shaped the institute.