The Beauty of St. Margaret of Castello
St. Margaret of Castello was born in 1287 in the castle of Metola in the papal state of Massa Trabaria. Her father, Parisio, was Captain of the People. He had led his army to recapture the castle, which had been taken by the Republic of Gubbio. The grateful people gifted the castle to Parisio, who lived there with his young wife Emilia. As they were expecting their first child, Parisio commanded preparations for two grand feasts to celebrate the birth—one at the castle (Metola) for the serfs, and the other in town (Mercatello) for the local and foreign dignitaries. He was anticipating a son to succeed him. However, not only was the child a girl, but she was deformed. She was ugly, undersized, hunchbacked and, as they would soon discover, blind.
There were no feasts. Instead, they spread the lie that the child was sickly and unlikely to survive. Parisio was a cruel master, so the household staff kept their secret. However, the chaplain insisted that the baby be baptized at the cathedral in Mercatello. A trustworthy maid was given charge of the task with the only restriction being that she not name the baby Emilia after her mother. She chose the name Margherita, a daisy. Ironically, the Greek root of the name means pearl … a symbol of perfection and beauty.
As he taught her the basics of religion, the chaplain noticed that Margaret was extremely intelligent. At five years old, she knew everyone’s name at Metola, and she could find her way through all of the buildings. A joyful child, Margaret saw her deformities as a means of growing closer to God. After an accidental meeting with a castle guest when she was six, Parisio designed a room which was built, connected to a church in the forest, where Margaret was literally locked away.
In 1305, when Margaret was 18, Pope Clement V was crowned in Lyon. No longer under close papal protection, Massa Trabaria was invaded. Parisio led the army defending the territory. During the conflict, Emilia moved with Margaret to their palazzo in Mercatello, where they would be better protected. Margaret was hidden away in a vault under the residence. The room contained only a pallet for sleeping and a bench. She had now lost the comfort of the sacraments which she had enjoyed from her room connected to the church in the forest. Two years later, in August 1307, pilgrims arrived from Rome with news that Pope Clement V intended to remain in Avignon permanently. They also brought news of miracles attributed to Fra Giacomo of Castello. Parisio agreed to take Margaret to Città di Castello, a walled city that was a day’s carriage drive from Mercatello. Hoping Margaret would be cured, he proposed Confession and Communion before going to the shrine. However, Margaret was the only one of the three who actually received the sacraments. They left Margaret to pray at the shrine. When they returned and found Margaret unchanged, they quietly left, paid their hotel bill, and returned home without Margaret. Margaret had added one condition to her prayer… that God’s will be done. Margaret spent that night on the church steps.
In the morning she was found by two beggars, who noticed her quality clothing and hoped for a reward for returning her to her parents. They found the inn where Margaret and her parents had spent the night but learned that her parents had left in a hurry. Margaret understood that she had been abandoned. Her companions taught Margaret to beg. Others were also touched by her presence. She was welcomed into homes of the poor, but they could only afford to keep her for a short time, so she moved from house to house. Margaret was disturbed by the moral conditions in many homes, but the homes where she stayed underwent change and their fortunes improved.
Eventually, Margaret joined the Mantellate, a Dominican order of women who lived a more religious life but at home. She spent her days serving the sick and dying, and she had a devotion to St. Joseph before it was a common practice. Margaret’s final home was with a wealthy family. Margaret was assigned one of the best guest rooms, but she wanted to live in austerity. When she learned of a small, unused room, she asked to switch rooms.
Toward the end of her life, miracles became frequent occurrences. Margaret went to Confession daily and received Communion as often as possible. She revealed to her confessor that she could see Christ Incarnate at the altar, although, in her blindness she could see nothing else. When asked to describe our Lord, she indicated that what she saw was Infinite Beauty. Margaret recognized death’s approach and received the Last Sacraments. As she was dying, people gathered outside her home to pray. Dominican friars chanted the Psalms in procession. She died on April 13, 1320. She was 33 years old. She was finally canonized by Pope Francis on April 24, 2021—over 700 years after her death. Margaret is the patron saint of the poor and anyone dealing with a disability or physical challenge. Her incorrupt body lies under the main altar of St. Dominic Church in Città di Castello.
My relationship with St. Margaret of Castello began when I married Alberto. Her biography had been a gift from Mother Teresa whom he had helped out when he was a medical student in Chicago. Clearly, she felt that it was a book worth reading…a story worth knowing. The highlight of our 1992 trip to Italy in 1992 was a visit to Città di Castello to see St. Margaret. The church where her body lay was, appropriately, in a convent that served the blind.
Knowing her story may have helped me to raise our sons on the autism spectrum with more patience. I’m quite sure that my reaction of joy rather than fear or sorrow when we were blessed with a granddaughter with down syndrome can be credited to Margaret. Mostly, though, her story has caused me to reflect on beauty. Margaret was ugly, by all human standards, but her spirit was beautiful. I would suggest that perhaps most of us are reasonably good looking on the outside, but we carry our ugly bits on the inside. I’m grateful that we have the sacrament of Reconciliation to clean up those ugly bits and we have the example of saints like Margaret who show us how to live a life reflecting God’s love.
Rebecca Pochettino
Adapted from a talk offered at the All Saints Club.