Saint Who?
Saints Who Grew Up in Poverty
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Religious († 1690)Feast: October 16
Margaret Mary, mystic of the Sacred Heart, was born in Burgundy. As a young child she spent much time in her godmother’s castle. Shortly after her return home, her father, a notary, died, leaving many unpaid bills and many uncollected debts. His wife had to put her children in the care of others while she tried, unsuccessfully, to mend matters.
Eight-year-old Margaret went to a convent school. She loved the nuns, with their austere life and gentle presence. “I longed to do everything which I saw the nuns do.” And the nuns saw such piety in her that she was allowed to receive the Eucharist early. From then on, she was so drawn to mortification that she fell ill and was paralyzed for several years.
In the meantime, relatives appropriated the family home and farm. Margaret and her mother were treated rudely and cruelly. “We had,” she recalled, “no longer any power in the house and we dared do nothing without leave. Everything was locked up.” Not until her brother came of age did matters improve. At twenty-three, Margaret joined the Visitation sisters, living as a nun for nineteen years, until her death in 1690. Her final words were: “I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.”
Merciful Jesus, may we, like Saint Margaret Mary,
lose ourselves in your Sacred Heart and find strength to endure our sufferings and those of our dear ones.
