April 13: Saint Margaret of Castello
Born: 1287, Metola (Umbria), Italy
Died: April 13, 1320, Castello, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Vocation / State: Lay Dominican tertiary, anchoress, contemplative, intercessor
Attributes: Dominican habit, small stature, staff or rosary, sometimes accompanied by a dog (symbol of loyalty and the Dominicans)
Patronage: The blind, disabled, unwanted, pro-life causes, the marginalized
Beatification: 1609 by Pope Paul V.
Canonization: 2021 by Pope Francis (equivalent canonization)
Margaret was born in 1287 with multiple disabilities: she was blind, had severe curvature of the spine, and was very small in stature. Her noble parents, ashamed of her condition, at first concealed her from the world in a walled-off room near a church. When she was about six, they abandoned her altogether at a shrine in Città di Castello, leaving her to the mercy of strangers.
Far from being crushed, Margaret’s spirit grew in strength. Adopted into the Dominican Third Order, she embraced prayer, charity, and service. She spent hours in contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament and became known for her counsel and encouragement to all who suffered.
Margaret’s holiness was marked by extraordinary patience and joy despite her hardships. She had no earthly beauty, no family security, no health or wealth. Yet her life shone with the conviction that God’s love transforms all weakness.
She lived in Castello among the poor until her death in 1320 at the age of 33. The townspeople who had once pitied her began to venerate her as a saint, reporting miracles at her tomb almost immediately.
Margaret stands as a patroness for those rejected by the world: the disabled, the abandoned, and the unborn. Her story testifies that sanctity is not hindered by suffering or limitation -rather, God makes His dwelling in precisely such poverty of spirit.
Saint Margaret of Castello, pray for us.