Today is the memoria of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi!
Even though I had heard of this Italian Carmelite mystic and saint of the Roman Catholic Church, originally this post on her wasn't intended. And then during the morning Mass, I saw her photo and one quote - "Trials are nothing else but the forge that purifies the soul of all its imperfections". So I thought of writing this post on St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi - known as the “ecstatic saint” because of her unusual gifts from God.
She came of two noble families, her father being Camillo Geri de' Pazzi and her mother a Buondelmonti. She was baptized, and named Caterina. The second of four children, Caterina was born in Florence on the second of April, 1566.
Another of her quotes says - "You will be consoled according to the greatness of your sorrow and affliction; the greater the suffering, the greater will be the reward."
She joined the Carmelites when she was nineteen.
A patron Saint of the sick, St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi had also a great devotion to Our Lady and she was a significant inspiration in the development of Carmelite nuns.
She died in 1607.
In December 2016, when we had to take our religious name, I had thought of taking up this name because I was under the impression that we could take only the names of Carmelite saints. I wanted to take this name for obvious reasons!
But then I was told that we could take up any saint's name! Then I took up for myself the religious name of Jubilee Cardozo of St. Mary Magdalene!
I was happy to drop off 'de Pazzi'!!!
