Margaret of Castello | |
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Virgin | |
Born | 1287 Castello della Metola, Papal States |
Died | 13 April 1320 (aged 32–33) Città di Castello, Papal States |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Beatified | 19 October 1609, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Paul V |
Canonized | 24 April 2021, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City by Pope Francis |
Major shrine | Chiesa di San Domenico, Città di Castello, Perugia, Italy |
Feast | 13 April |
Attributes | a lily and a heart[1] |
Patronage |
Margaret of Città di Castello, TOSD (1287 – 12 April 1320) was an Italian Catholic educator and a Dominican tertiary.[2] Margaret had disabilities and became known for her deep faith and holiness.
Her parents abandoned her in a local church due to her disabilities and the town's poor took her in and assumed care for her. Nuns later offered her a home at their convent but soon came to detest her presence and cast her out, prompting the town's poor to once again take her in and care for her.[3][4] She later met with Dominican friars and was accepted as a Dominican tertiary. She started a school for children to teach them in the faith and often took care of children while their parents were out at work.[5][2][6]
Margaret's holiness was apparent to all in her life that people lobbied for her to be buried in the local church which was an honour reserved for a select few. Her beatification received approval from Pope Paul V on 19 October 1609.[2] Pope Francis later declared her a saint through equipollent canonization on 24 April 2021.[7]