Margaret
was born in Laviano, a little town in Tuscany, to a farmer and his
wife. When she was only seven, her mother died and her father remarried a
hard and difficult woman, who spared no great love for the
free-spirited girl.
Margaret
ran away with a rich young man. For nine years she lived in sin, and
during that time bore him a son. Her immoral relationship caused great
scandal, and Margaret strove to convince him of marriage, but to no
avail. One day, the man took his dog and went riding. When he did not
return, Margaret became anxious. After some time, his dog returned and
led her to a forest. There Margaret found the broken body of her lover,
dead for some days, and took it as a sign from God to amend her life.
Then
Margaret traveled to Cortona where she lived a life of prayer and
penance near the Franciscan Friars. She devoted herself to caring for
the sick, living off of alms, eating and sleeping little, and eventually
took the habit of the third order of St. Francis. She sent her son to
school in Arezzo, where he later entered the Franciscan Order.
During
the twenty-nine years she lived as a penitent, Margaret often spoke
with God. A result of her dedication to the sick is the Confraternity of
Our Lady of Mercy, which she founded. She died at age fifty, and was
proclaimed a saint immediately. The people of Cortona built a church in
her honor, where her remains are housed. She was officially canonized in
1728.
Monday, February 22, 2021
St. Margaret of Cortona
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