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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Blessed Magdalen dei Panattieri

On this day which is her memorial, Blessed Magdalen dei Panattieri still serves as an excellent model in aspects of the vocations of Lay Dominicans today.

Bl. Magdalen became a tertiary before she 20. She tried to model her life after St. Catherine of Sienna; she had a special devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Her tertiary chapter was mainly elderly women and widows but she thrived in their apostolate.

She was harsh in her self-discipline and mortification. She fasted frequently. She feed the poor as guests in her own house, serving them herself; she fed herself from their leftovers. She would spend all morning in Eucharistic adoration and then go out to tend to the sick in her town.

In her preaching it is said she had a great gift of influencing others and a sweet voice that people never tired of hearing. Others noted that she was also unaware of another gift where she had great powers of description and could make the truths of religion clear to simple people. It is well recorded she had a great love for children. She was given a large room in a church to use as a classroom. Her preaching and lessons there even drew other religious and priests!

As is sadly the case with many summaries of the saints in our time, her mystic experiences are rarely, if ever, mentioned. One older source gives us some insight into her deep spirituality:
She was favored with frequent rapture and apparitions; on every
festival she was granted a vision of the mystery or of the Saint honored by the
Church on that day. This was particularly the case in Holy Week when she
was admitted to a mysterious and visible participation in the sufferings of her
Divine Spouse, and in Easter Week, when her countenance appeared radiant with
celestial light. (Short Lives of the Dominican Saints, London, 1901)

Prayer

O God, who forsakest no man that trusteth in Thee, and mercifully hearest him that meekly beseecheth Thee, grant, we pray Thee, that what we cannot obtain by our own meritis, we may received throught the patronage of They Blessed Virgin, Magdalen. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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