Blessed Margaret Colonna
Blessed Margaret Colonna (Italian: Margherita Colonna; born c. 1255 AD in Rome, Italy; died December 30, 1280 AD at Palestrina, near Rome, Italy) was an Italian noblewoman of the powerful Colonna family who renounced marriage to embrace a life of poverty and prayer as a Poor Clare, gathering a community of sisters at Palestrina. She is venerated as a Blessed of the Franciscan Order. Her feast day is December 30.
Orphaned and of high rank, Margaret rejected advantageous marriages in order to give herself to Christ in the Franciscan life of Saint Clare, living in poverty on the Colonna estate and serving the poor and sick. Her cult was confirmed in 1847.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Margaret Colonna
| Blessed Margaret Colonna | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | December 30 |
| Profession | Noblewoman; Poor Clare (Order of Saint Clare) |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Saint Clare (Poor Clares) |
| Patronage | The Colonna family; Palestrina; those who renounce rank for religion |
| Attributes | Poor Clare habit; renounced noble rank; care of the poor and sick |
| Birthplace | Rome, Italy |
| Death Place | Palestrina, near Rome, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; noblewoman of the Colonna family and Poor Clare; died at Palestrina after a life of poverty and prayer |
| Primary Shrine | Palestrina / Rome, Italy |
Biography
Margherita Colonna was born about 1255 into the Colonna, one of the greatest and most powerful noble families of Rome, which would give the Church popes and cardinals—among them her own brother Giacomo (James) Colonna, who became a cardinal. Orphaned in childhood, she was raised by her brothers.
Beautiful and of high rank, Margaret was destined for a great marriage, but she resolved instead to consecrate herself to God. Rejecting the marriages proposed for her, she embraced the ideal of Saint Clare of Assisi and the Franciscan life of poverty, penance, and prayer. With the support of her brother the cardinal, she gathered a community of like-minded women on the Colonna estate at Palestrina (Mentorella / the rock of Palestrina), where they lived as Poor Clares.
Margaret combined her hidden life of prayer with active charity, giving generously to the poor and personally caring for the sick, even the leprous. She bore a long and painful illness with patience, and was favored with mystical graces.
Margaret Colonna died at Palestrina on December 30, 1280, while still young. Her community later moved to Rome, to the convent of San Silvestro in Capite, carrying on her memory. Her cult was confirmed in 1847 by Pope Pius IX. Her feast is kept on December 30.
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Media
| Media | Length | AuthorCreator |
|---|---|---|
| Blessed Margaret Colonna | 5–15 minutes | Daily Lives of Franciscan Saints |
| Nov 9 - Bl. Margaret Colonna - Franciscan Saint of the Day | 5–15 minutes | Franciscan Media |
| Blessed Margaret Colonna | 5–15 minutes | Radio Immaculata |
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Feast day
December 30
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