Saint of the Day April 10: Maddalena of Canossa

By Cristiano Antonino On Apr 11, 2023

A very rich marquise already with a fortune to administer after the death of her father, Maddalena Di Canossa. But she answered the call

The Canossians and Canossians now represent a congregation known throughout the world and no one ever thinks about the immediate origins of the denomination.

Canossiani, in fact, derives from the family name of Maddalena Canossa, of noble origins

A story full of surprises, almost fictional that of this saint, to the point that entering the background is not precisely given.

We can imagine this intricate life of a young landowner girl and her mother’s second wedding: what and how many intrigues she had to face!

In the early 1800s Magdalene (in italian Maddalena) left home and followed her call to serve the poor

Here she is with her heart in travail in those Verona Easter holidays in which the weight of poverty was clear and obvious.

She tried twice to enter Carmel but God had not called her there.

So she, back in her palace, understood that this didn’t mean that the Lord hadn’t called her, except for something new.

With a few traveling companions they then toured the roads of Italy between Verona, Venice, Milan, Bergamo, Trento…

Maddalena spent the last thirty years of her life thus surrendering to the Lord

In short, she didn’t have any time to waste to the point that she proceeded step by step.

Her position could certainly be useful to her, so much so that she also tried to train noblewomen to follow.

If it had happened to her, why couldn’t it have happened to other high society women?

Then her pastoral action and mission expanded so much as to involve all layers of God’s people.

You didn’t even spend the first half of the 1800s, and this means having accelerated times for how these things normally work, that the institute received the diocesan clearance.

It is the so-called “license to act” to be clear … in addition to which the male branch was also established.

That Friday of the Passion of 1835, April 10, at the age of only 61, Maddalena Di Canossa left this world.

She now she brings us closer to God.

Sister Ines Carlone Missionary Daughters of Mary