Saint Maria Maddalena di Canossa
Stored in Cargo: Saint Maria Maddalena di Canossa
| Saint Maria Maddalena di Canossa | |
| Feast Day | May 08 |
|---|---|
| Liturgical Class | |
| Patronage | Educators, youth, Verona, Canossian Sisters |
| Birthplace | Verona, Republic of Venice (now Italy) |
| Death Place | Verona, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (now Italy) |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes (illness, likely fever) |
| Primary Shrine | Canossian Motherhouse, Verona, Italy |
Saint Maria Maddalena di Canossa, born on March 1, 1774, in Verona, was an Italian noblewoman who founded the Canossian Daughters of Charity, dedicating her life to educating the poor and sick. Orphaned young, she rejected wealth to pursue charity, inspired by Magdalene of Canossa’s relic. In 1808, she established her order, opening schools and hospitals, emphasizing Christian formation for girls. Despite frail health, she expanded her mission across Italy, dying on April 10, 1835, at 61 in Verona, her work a beacon of compassion in a turbulent era. Her rule blended contemplation with service, influencing global missions.
Canonized on October 2, 1988, by Pope John Paul II, Maria’s feast day, May 8, draws pilgrims to her Verona motherhouse, where her relics rest. Patron of educators, youth, and Verona, her miracles—posthumous healings—affirmed her sanctity, detailed in Canossian archives. Venerated for her educational zeal, her cross and book symbolize a heart given to the marginalized, her legacy thriving in Canossian schools worldwide, a testament to her vision of charity through knowledge.
Biography
Birth
Saint Maria Maddalena was born on March 1, 1774, in Verona, to Marquis Ottavio di Canossa and Teresa Szluha, one of six children in a noble family. Her birth in a Venetian palace came amid aristocratic splendor. Verona’s canals framed her origin.
Her early loss—father at 5, mother’s remarriage—pushed her toward a divine call.
Early Life
Maria’s youth was marked by tragedy; orphaned by 7, she endured illness and family strife. Tutored at home, she felt drawn to service, inspired by a relic of Magdalene of Canossa at 15. By 1808, rejecting marriage, she began her charitable work, mentored by priests like Luigi Libera.
Her early life was privilege turned to purpose, a noblewoman’s pivot to the poor.
Occupation
Maria’s occupation was as a foundress and religious sister, starting the Canossian Daughters of Charity in 1808. She opened schools for poor girls, hospitals, and retreats, leading her order across Venice, Milan, and Bergamo. Frail but tireless, she served until illness ended her work in 1835.
Her work was educating the marginalized, a mission closed in death. Maria’s occupation was a sister’s gift to Verona.
Vocation
Maria’s vocation arose in youth, a call to charity through education. Founding her order in 1808, she lived for the poor, her rule uniting prayer and action—schools her legacy. Her heart, offered to Christ, drove her until death in 1835, a foundress fulfilled.
Her vocation peaked in Verona, dying with her sisters. Maria’s life was a noble’s sacrifice for love.
Death
Saint Maria Maddalena met her end on April 10, 1835, in Verona, dying at 61 of illness—likely fever—in her motherhouse. Weakened by decades of labor, she passed among her sisters, buried in the Canossian chapel, her relics preserved there, a shrine for devotees.
Her death sparked devotion, her miracles soon noted. Maria’s passing closed a life of relentless charity.
Significant events
- Founded Canossian Daughters of Charity, May 8, 1808.
- Died April 10, 1835.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Verona, Republic of Venice (now Italy)
Death location: Verona, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (now Italy)
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Parishes
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Canonization
Servant of God
The process began in 1901 in Verona, driven by her order’s growth and local devotion.
Venerable
Declared Venerable in 1927 by Pope Pius XI, her heroic virtue affirmed after reviewing her life.
Beatification
Beatified on December 7, 1941, by Pope Pius XII in Vatican City, after a 1940 healing of a woman’s tuberculosis via prayers to Maria, verified by inquiry.
Canonization
Canonized on October 2, 1988, by Pope John Paul II in Vatican City, following a 1987 cure of a child’s paralysis after prayers at her shrine, sealing her sanctity.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
In 1940, a Veronese woman with tuberculosis recovered after prayers to Maria at her motherhouse, deemed miraculous. Approved in 1941, it reflected her care for the sick, hastening beatification.
Witnessed by her order, this miracle spread her fame, a sister’s grace.
Miracle for canonization
In 1987, a paralyzed child walked after prayers at Maria’s shrine, confirmed inexplicable by doctors. Ratified in 1988, it sealed her canonization, echoing her educational zeal.
This cure affirmed her sainthood, completing her veneration path.
Other notable miracles
- Posthumous healings at Verona, per Canossian tradition.
Patronage
Saint Maria Maddalena di Canossa is patron of educators, youth, Verona, and Canossian Sisters.
Feast day
The feast day of Saint Maria Maddalena di Canossa is celebrated on May 8.
Veneration
Saint Maria is venerated through prayers for education, centered at her Verona motherhouse, where her relics rest. With cross or book, her cult thrives among Canossians, her May 8 feast inspiring schools. Her life, a noble’s gift, guides youth to faith.
Books
Written about the saint
- Canossian biographies (archival, 19th century)
Written by the saint
- Letters and spiritual writings (preserved by Canossian order)