Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

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Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
Feast Day	May 25
Liturgical Class
Patronage	The sick
Birthplace	Florence, Duchy of Florence
Death Place	Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Cause of Death	Prolonged illness
Primary Shrine	Monastery of Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi, Careggi, Florence, Italy

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi (April 2, 1566 – May 25, 1607), born Caterina Lucrezia de’ Pazzi, was a saint and Italian Carmelite nun renowned for her mystical experiences and devotion to Christ’s Passion. Born into a noble family in Florence, Italy, she embraced prayer and penance from childhood, entering the Carmelite monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli at 16. Her ecstasies, recorded by her sisters in five volumes, revealed profound spiritual insights, earning her the title “ecstatic saint.” Despite severe trials, including five years of spiritual desolation, she served as novice mistress, guiding others with charity and wisdom. Canonized by Pope Clement IX in 1669, her feast day is celebrated on May 25.

Her incorrupt body, preserved at the Monastery of Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi in Careggi, draws pilgrims, especially in Florence, where her cult remains strong. Known for her “dead love” spirituality—total self-surrender to God—she inspired reform and charity. Her maxims, emphasizing suffering for Christ, continue to influence spiritual writers, and her life challenges modern Catholics to embrace God’s love fully.

Biography

Birth

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was born on April 2, 1566, in Florence, Duchy of Florence, to Camillo di Geri de’ Pazzi and Maria Buondelmonti, both from noble families. Christened Caterina Lucrezia, she was called Lucrezia in honor of her grandmother, Lucrezia Mannucci. Raised in a pious household, her early devotion to prayer set her apart in Renaissance Florence’s elite society.

Early Life

Caterina’s childhood was marked by intense spirituality. At nine, she learned mental prayer from the family chaplain, using a book on meditating on Christ’s Passion, which she later brought to the monastery. She practiced mortifications, including self-flagellation and wearing a homemade crown of thorns. At 10, she received her First Communion—unusual for the time—and made a private vow of virginity. Her first ecstasy, at 12, occurred while gazing at a sunset, leaving her trembling.

In 1580, at 14, her father sent her to a monastery of the Order of Malta for education, but recalled her for a planned marriage. Caterina’s firm vow of virginity persuaded him to allow her to enter the Carmelite monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in 1582, chosen for its daily Communion.

Occupation

Caterina, taking the name Sister Mary Magdalene, became a Carmelite nun, entering as a novice on January 30, 1583. Despite frequent ecstasies, she held roles like novice mistress (1598) and subprioress (1604), guiding young nuns with practical wisdom and miraculous heart-reading. Her “occupation” centered on prayer, penance, and teaching, though she endured severe illnesses and spiritual trials. She performed miracles, including healings, and once supernaturally saw Saint Catherine de’ Ricci reading her letter from Prato.

Her recorded ecstasies, dictated to sisters, filled five volumes, offering theological insights. She also contributed to convent duties, balancing mystical experiences with community service, never allowing raptures to hinder her responsibilities.

Vocation

Mary Magdalene’s vocation was contemplative, rooted in “dead love”—complete surrender to God without seeking personal reward. Her ecstasies, beginning after her profession in 1584, included visions of the Trinity and Christ, often expressing grief that “O Love, you are neither known nor loved.” She endured a five-year trial of spiritual desolation (1585–1590), facing temptations but growing in charity through intense prayer and penance.

Her spirituality, centered on Christ’s Passion and the Eucharist, inspired her to urge others to love God fully. As novice mistress, she used blunt wisdom to foster humility, famously telling a novice feigning impatience, “What you want to pretend to be, you already are.”

Death

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi died on May 25, 1607, in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, at 41, after a three-year illness marked by coughing, infected gums, and bedsores. Emaciated, she refused to be moved, fearing it might stir impure thoughts in her sisters. Buried in the monastery chapel’s choir, her body was found incorrupt in 1668 during canonization proceedings. Her relics remain at the Monastery of Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi in Careggi, a pilgrimage site.

Significant events

• Learned mental prayer and began mortifications at age 9, 1575.
• Received First Communion and vowed virginity in 1576.
• Entered the Carmelite monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in 1582.
• Professed vows and began 40 days of ecstasies in 1584.
• Endured five years of spiritual desolation from 1585 to 1590.
• Died on May 25, 1607, with her body found incorrupt in 1668.

Significant locations

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Legend

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Parishes

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
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Canonization

Servant of God

The process for Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi’s canonization began in 1610 under Pope Paul V, prompted by miracles, including healings, reported at her tomb. The Diocese of Florence collected testimonies of her holiness and mystical life, advancing her cause.

Venerable

No formal Venerable declaration is recorded, as her recognition predates modern processes. Her cult grew rapidly in Florence, supported by biographies from confessors Vincenzo Puccini and Virgilio Cepari, affirming her sanctity.

Beatification

Mary Magdalene was beatified in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII in Rome, following numerous documented miracles, such as healings, attributed to her intercession between 1610 and 1626. Her growing devotion in Italy accelerated the process.

Canonization

She was canonized on April 28, 1669, by Pope Clement IX in Rome, 62 years after her death, after further miracles were verified in 1668–1669. Her canonization recognized her mystical writings and enduring influence, with her feast day set for May 25.

Miracles

Her canonization was supported by numerous miracles, primarily healings, reported post-death. Her life’s mystical experiences, like heart exchanges with Christ, were considered providential, though not formal miracles.

Miracle for beatification

Multiple healings, documented between 1610 and 1626, were attributed to her intercession, satisfying requirements for beatification. Specific cases involved pilgrims cured at her tomb in Florence.

Miracle for canonization

Additional miracles, including healings verified in 1668–1669, were pivotal for her canonization. These were recorded by ecclesiastical authorities, affirming her sanctity.

Other notable miracles

• Supernaturally saw Saint Catherine de’ Ricci reading her letter from Prato, despite never meeting.
• Miraculously read novices’ hearts, aiding their spiritual formation.

Patronage

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi is the patron saint of the sick, reflecting her endurance of bodily ills and intercession for those suffering.

Feast day

Her feast day is celebrated on May 25 in the Roman Catholic Church, marking her death and restored to its original date in 1969 after being moved to May 29 from 1728 to 1969.

Veneration

Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi is venerated through prayers, novenas, and pilgrimages to her incorrupt relics at the Monastery of Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi in Careggi, Florence. Devotees seek her intercession for the sick and spiritual growth, inspired by her “dead love” spirituality. Her image, often showing a Carmelite habit or crown of thorns, adorns Florentine churches. A statue with a flagellant whip stands in her church, symbolizing her penance.

Her writings, translated in the *Classics of Western Spirituality* by Paulist Press, influence modern spirituality. Her feast day Masses celebrate her call to love God fully, with her cult especially strong in Florence. Recent posts on X highlight her as a model for embracing suffering for Christ, echoing her words, “Those who call to mind the sufferings of Christ… find their pains sweet and pleasant.”

Books

Written about the saint

• The Life of St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi by Vincenzo Puccini
• Life of St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi by Virgilio Cepari
• Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi: Selected Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality)

Written by the saint

• None directly written, but her dictated ecstasies and maxims are preserved in five volumes, including *The Forty Days* and *Admonitions*, compiled by her sisters.

External links

• Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi at CatholicSaints.Info
• Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi at Catholic Online
• St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi in the Catholic Encyclopedia
• Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi at Wikipedia