St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi

A Florentine Carmelite, Mary Magdalene united intense contemplative prayer with fidelity to community life, suffering, and renewal within the Church.

The story

Caterina de' Pazzi was born in Florence on April 2, 1566, into a prominent noble family. She received a careful Christian education and made her First Communion at the age of ten. As a young girl, she developed a strong devotion to the Eucharist and privately promised herself to a life of virginity. Her family considered a suitable marriage, but Caterina remained resolved to enter religious life.

In 1582, she entered the Carmelite monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence. The community followed a form of Carmelite life that permitted frequent Communion, which was important to her. She received the habit in 1583 and took the name Mary Magdalene. A grave illness soon threatened her life. Because death seemed near, she was allowed to make her religious profession on May 27, 1584, while lying on a bed before the altar.

After her profession, Mary Magdalene experienced prolonged states of contemplation and ecstasy. Under the direction of confessors and superiors, sisters recorded words she spoke during these experiences. These records became works known by titles such as The Forty Days, The Colloquies, and The Revelations and Intelligences. They should be read as records of private mystical experience, not as additions to the deposit of faith. Mary Magdalene repeatedly emphasized the love of God, the saving Blood of Christ, the action of the Holy Spirit, and the need for renewal in the Church.

From about 1585 to 1590, she endured a severe period of spiritual desolation and temptation. She remained faithful to prayer and community duties. She later served in the formation of younger sisters and as subprioress. Her final years were marked by painful illness, which she bore with patience. She died in Florence on May 25, 1607, at the age of forty-one. Pope Urban VIII beatified her in 1626, and Pope Clement IX canonized her in 1669. Her optional memorial is kept on May 25.

What Mary teaches

St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi teaches that genuine contemplation leads to fidelity, charity, and service within the Church. Contemplative prayer is a communion in which the Trinity conforms the human person to the likeness of God, as CCC 2713 explains.

Patronage

Carmelite nuns, Florence, spiritual renewal, those suffering illness.

Prayer

God of infinite love, you drew St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi into deep communion with you. Purify our prayer and keep us faithful during illness, temptation, and spiritual darkness. Through her intercession, renew your Church in holiness and charity. Amen.