Mercedarian Nun (d. 1580)
Her life
+ Anna de Corro consecrated herself to God as a young woman. She would go on to become a nun of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy (the “Mercedarians”) in their monastery in Seville, Spain.
+ She was known in religious life as “Mary of the Nativity.”
+ Honored for her contemplative spirit, she experienced many visions and ecstasies, and spent her time praising God. She was often sought out by visitors and pilgrims who asked for her prayers.
+ Blessed Mary of the Nativity died in her monastery in 1580.
Spiritual bonus
On this day, the Church also remembers a contemporary of Blessed Mary of the Nativity: Blessed Maria Bartolomea Bagnesi. A Dominican tertiary, she suffered from severe physical infirmities that prevented her from fulfilling her desire to become a nun. Known for her spirit of prayer and devotion to Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, she died in Florence, Italy, in 1577.
For reflection
Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind
but straining forward to what lies ahead,
I continue my pursuit toward the goal,
the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 3:14
Prayer
O God, who called your handmaid blessed Mary of the Nativity
to seek you before all else,
grant that, serving you,
through her example and intercession,
with a pure and humble heart,
we may come at last to your eternal glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Holy Men and Women—For a Nun)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...