By CAROLE BRESLIN
There is a palace overlooking the Adige River that twists through Verona, Italy — about 75 miles east of Venice. In 1527 the Marquises of Canossa commissioned Michele Sanmicheli to build it, and it still stands today, having had such prominent guests as Alexander I of Russia, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Francis I of Austria. Although you cannot go inside, you can view it from the street and see the home where St. Magdalena of Canossa was born on March 1, 1774.
Magdalena was the third child born to Marquis Ottavio di Canossa and his Hungarian countess wife, Teresa Szluha. Sadly their first two children died shortly after birth, as did their fourth child, a boy. In 1776, Bonifacio was born and then two more girls were born in quick succession before Ottavio died in an accident in 1779.
With four young children and a large estate to manage, Teresa did her best to fulfill her responsibilities. She placed the children under the care of their uncle and in 1791 she married the Marquis Zanetti of Mantua.
The loss of her father and then her mother’s remarriage led Magdalena through prayer and meditation ever closer to the love of God. At this time, she entered a Carmelite monastery to discern whether or not the contemplative life was her calling. She discovered it was not and returned to the Canossa palace to live with her family and to learn how to run the estate.
Magdalena, who was young but very aware of her position in Veronese culture, maintained her Catholic faith during the chaos of the French Revolution army attacks.
On June 10, 1796, when Napoleon entered Italy, she endured the challenge of entertaining him in her home even as she had to witness the suffering and hardships caused by the conflict between the French and the Austrians.
Napoleon returned for more “visits” in 1805 and in 1807.
As conditions in Verona worsened, she wondered: What could she do for the people? How could she best use the material gifts God had given her? She believed that “it is an act of justice for the rich to help the poor.” Thus she began using her inheritance to serve the least among Verona by bringing relief to the poor. After some years, on April 1, 1808, she received the use of a monastery. She took young girls from the San Zeno slum to house them and to provide an education for them.
Magdalena — with considerable family opposition — moved into the monastery as well, leaving her family palace behind. Soon other women joined in her apostolic works and more girls came to the monastery for assistance. They named their home the Convent of St. Joseph and called themselves the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor.
As with most congregations, the women began working with a few helpers, and, as their good works proved so helpful to those in need, more volunteers and more seeking assistance came to the monastery.
In addition to caring for poor children, they began working in the hospitals, opening schools that provided all around formation for the girls, catechizing all classes of people — especially those most in need of learning Catholic doctrine. They held conferences and retreats to train teachers in rural areas. They also provided some assistance to parish priests who needed help with their pastoral activities.
Magdalena even organized weekends of Spiritual Exercises for women of noble birth, knowing that it would help them to consider helping with the charitable works of the congregation.
In 1812 the Canossian Sisters, as they came to be known, established a home in Venice, another in Milan in 1816, and still more in Bergamo in 1820 and in Trent in 1824. Magdalena began formulating the rules for formation and for the work of the oratory to present to Rome. Pope Leo XII granted formal approval to the Daughters of Charity on December 23, 1828.
As the work for young girls thrived, Magdalena decided to help young boys as well. Thus, she wrote to Fr. Francesco Luzzo, inviting him to open a similar home for boys in a building adjacent to the Sisters’ Convent of Lucy in Venice. He joyfully accepted her request and opened the first house for boys on May 23, 1831. Two years later, Giuseppe Carsana and Benedetto Belloni, two laymen, joined him in his work.
After a few years Fr. Luzzo left the home in their care when he joined the Carmelite order. The work with young men did not grow as much as the work with the women did. Eventually, the house for young men was placed under the authority of the Patriarch of Venice. Fr. Giovanni Calabria in Verona became their immediate superior.
In the meantime, Magdalena continued working with young women for their spiritual and social development. She died in Verona on the Friday of Passion week, April 10, 1835. She lived long enough to see the Daughters of Charity’s work spread across the region. With more than 4,000 members, they are now all over the world, serving in Brazil, Hong Kong, India, and the Philippines.
Pope Pius XII beatified Magdalena on December 8, 1941 and Pope St. John Paul II canonized her on October 2, 1988. Her feast is celebrated on May 8.
God’s work is universal through time and space and the quotations of Magdalena hold wisdom for us as well as for her sisters: “The way to holiness consists in a life of uninterrupted sacrifices.”
“Welcome these children as you would welcome the Divine Savior Himself.”
“In God’s will there is great peace.”
In her rules she wrote that “there is no greater act of charity than that of working together so that all may love God and one of the greatest means of making Him loved is that of making Him known…to make Jesus known since He is not loved because He is not known.”
Dear St. Magdalena, who lived during an era when the state sought to eliminate the Church from people’s lives, pray for us. We, too, live in such an era and witness the vacant looks coming from vacant souls who have lost touch with their Creator. Show us the way, so that we can reach them to bring the joy of Easter to their hearts and souls. Amen.
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(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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