Saint Who?
Saints Who Had Family Challenges
Saint Margaret of Cortona
Religious († 1297)Feast: February 22
Margaret was twenty-one years old when she found herself standing on the streets of Cortona, Italy. She was homeless, unmarried, and holding the hand of her young son. She had almost lost hope.
Margaret had been born into a family of farmers in the village of Laviano. Her mother died when she was seven, and her father remarried. Her stepmother resented the high-spirited girl, and Margaret ran away with a teenaged nobleman named Arsenio when she was twelve years old. For the next nine years, she lived comfortably as his mistress, although he refused to marry her, even when she bore him a son. When Arsenio failed to return from a trip, his dog led Margaret to the very spot where he had been killed. Margaret was horrified by his death but was also sorry, for the first time, for her sinful behavior.
When her family refused to take her in, she walked to Cortona, hoping that a community of Franciscans would take pity on her. They did. Under the guidance of the friars, Margaret did penance for her sins, learned to live a virtuous life of poverty, and joined the Franciscan Third Order. She lived twenty-nine years as a penitent, healing and converting sinners and reminding everyone that we should never lose hope in the forgiveness of God.
Merciful Father, make us aware
of our sins so that we will ask
for your forgiveness.
