Blessed Maddalena Caterina Morano

Her life:

+ Maddalena was born in Chieri, Italy. After her father’s death, Maddalena worked to help support her large family. She was able to become an elementary school teacher, but her true calling was to be a religious sister.

+ After working for 12 years, during which time she helped raise her siblings, Maddalena had finally saved enough to provide for her mother and she was free to enter the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians (the Salesian Sisters). The community had been founded only six years before by Saint John Bosco.

+ Maddalena was sent to the diocese of Catania in Sicily. She remained there for the remainder of her life, opening schools and houses, teaching sewing classes, training teachers, and giving catechetical instruction.

+ Remembered as a true daughter of Saint Mary Mazarello and Saint John Bosco, Blessed Maddalena died on March 26, 1908. She was beatified in 1994.

For prayer and reflection:

“It is not enough for you to love the young, they must know they are loved.”—Saint John Bosco

Spiritual bonus:

On this day, we also remember Saints Emmanuel, Sabinus, Quadratus, and Theodosius, who were martyred in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in the year 304.

Prayer

O God, who raised up blessed Maddalena in your Church to show others the way of salvation, grant us, by her example, so to follow Christ the master, that we may come with our neighbor into your presence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.