April 10th - Saint Magdalen of Canossa By: Elizabeth Ipe

Saint Magdalen of Canossa was born in northern Italy on March 1, 1774. By the age of 15, she proclaimed that she wanted to be a nun and began her vocation with the cloistered Carmelites. She then realized that she wanted to serve the needy. She worked in many hospitals and among young girls. By her mid 20s, Magdalen started offering housing to any poor girls who were in need. She opened a school where many other women joined her to start the Congregation of the Canossian Daughters of Charity (or Canossian Sisters). She also began smaller congregations for priests and brothers. Saint Magdalen of Canossa died on April 10, 1835. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

Oh God, through the example of Saint Magdalen of Canossa, please help us also become helpers of the poor and the sick. Guide us to show others our love just as Saint Magdalen did. Amen