St Magdalen of Canossa (1774-1835)
Early life
St Magdalene of Canossa was born the
third of six children of a noble family in Verona, Italy, on 2 March
1774.
Her father died when she was five and her mother remarried soon
after, so Magdalene was brought up by an uncle and given a good
education.
At age 15 she announced she wished to become a nun, but after
trying out her vocation with the Carmelites, she realised she really
wanted to serve the needy without restriction.
Canossa
The name “Canossa” has been connected
with the history of Italy since the 11th Century AD when the famous
Countess Matilda (1045-1115) exercised a strong political influence for
nearly half a century.
It was there too that the German Emperor Henry IV
submitted to Pope St Gregory VII during the dispute over lay
investiture.
Napoleon at Canossa
Magdalen was 15 years old
when the French revolution broke out and shook the whole of Europe.
In
Verona the real consequences were felt about seven years later, when, on
June 10, 1796, General Napoleon entered the city as a conqueror.
The
following year Napoleon was a guest at Canossa Palace and Magdalen,
being the lady of the house, received the General.
He returned in 1805
and 1807 as Emperor and was a guest at Canossa Palace.
By then
Magdalen had already undertaken the work she had long wanted to do.
A charitable organisation
Magdalen began a
charitable organisation to help the wounded and the sick, but gave
special attention to girls living in poverty and those who had been
abandoned.
Aware of the contrasts between the very rich and very poor,
she moved more to care for children, youth and women beset by economic
as well as moral, spiritual, intellectual and family poverty.
Daughters of Charity
In 1808 she left the Canossa
Palace indefinitely and with some companions, established herself in a
poor district of San Zeno.
This small group of women were
contemplatives, not of the cloister but on the street.
Magdalen called
them “Daughters of Charity” because their task was to reveal God’s love
to humanity.
Full of missionary spirit
Magdalen’s vision was
full of a missionary spirit and she often said she was prepared to go
anywhere and do anything so that Jesus would be known and loved.
Although she did not herself fulfil that dream, over time, houses were
opened throughout Italy.
Death 1835
At the time of her death on 10 April
1835, there were five houses of Canossian Sisters.
Today the
congregation has almost 4,000 members in 395 houses in 35 countries
around the world and the "Canossian family" includes the Canossian Sons
of Charity (priests and brothers - founded 1821) as well as Canossian
lay helpers.
Canonisation
On October 2, 1988 Pope John Paul II canonised St Magdalen of Canossa, a prophet of charity.