Margaret of Metola, Bl.

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MARGARET OF METOLA, BL.

Virgin; b. Metola, Italy, 1287; d. Città di Castello, Italy, Apr. 13, 1320. She was of noble birth, but because of her deformities (she was dwarfed, blind, lame, and hunch-backed), her parents kept her hidden in a prison from the age of six to 16. She was then taken to a "miraculous" shrine in Città di Castello. As no miracle occurred, her parents abandoned her in that city. Her cheerfulness, based on her trust in God's love and goodness, was extraordinary. She became a Dominican tertiary and, despite her severe handicaps, devoted herself to tending the sick and the dying. Her solicitude for the prisoners in the city jail was remarkable. After her death more than 200 miracles testified to her heroic sanctity. She was beatified in 1609.

Feast: Apr. 13.

Bibliography: Bologna, Dominican Monastery, MS A. Paris, Bib. Nat. Ital. 2178. w. r. bonniwell, Margaret of Castello (Dublin 1955). m. c. lungarotti, Le Legendae di Margherita da Città di Castello (Spoleto 1994).

[w. r. bonniwell]

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Margaret of Metola, Bl.