Note from the Editors:
On April 24 of this year, Pope Francis canonized a third-order Dominican, St. Margaret of Castello (1287–1320), by what is called equipollent canonization. This means that instead of waiting for a second miracle and then canonizing St. Margaret by a solemn declaration during a canonization mass, Pope Francis waived the requirement for a second miracle and canonized her by virtue of signing the decree. Since there was no canonization mass, a solemn mass will be celebrated today at the Church of St. Dominic in Città di Castello, Italy, where her body is buried. In honor of this occasion, one of our brothers has composed a Litany of St. Margaret of Castello. We publish it here with the hope that it will promote devotion to St. Margaret and will be an aid for the prayer of those who seek her powerful intercession.
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Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God,
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary,
St. Margaret of Castello, pray for us.
St. Margaret of Metola,
St. Margaret, spouse of the Lord Jesus,
St. Margaret, daughter of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
St. Margaret, devotee of St. Joseph,
St. Margaret, image of Holy Father Dominic,
St. Margaret, lustrous pearl of the Most High,*
St. Margaret, virginal lily of the Mantellate,**
St. Margaret, chosen vessel of Lady Poverty,
St. Margaret, ardent apostle of charity,
St. Margaret, pattern of Eucharistic piety,
St. Margaret, mirror of prayer and penance,
St. Margaret, model of mercy and compassion,
St. Margaret, patroness of the blind and the disabled,
St. Margaret, servant of the sick and the outcast,***
St. Margaret, comfort to the afflicted,
St. Margaret, relief to the abandoned,
St. Margaret, strength of the burdened,
St. Margaret, hope of the unwanted,
St. Margaret, shelter for the homeless,
St. Margaret, advocate for the aborted,
St. Margaret, blind but illumined by Christ,
St. Margaret, lame but animated by Christ,
St. Margaret, deformed but conformed to Christ,
St. Margaret, dwarfed but restored in Christ,
St. Margaret, wondrous heart of pearls,****
St. Margaret, incorruptible sign of salvation,
St. Margaret, glorious intercessor before the throne of God,
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us.
Pray for us, St. Margaret of Castello, that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O God, who made the virgin Saint Margaret of Castello strong by the power of Christ, grant, we pray, that, through her intercession, we may so boast in our weaknesses as to merit the grace of life eternal. 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.
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Explanation of certain titles attributed to St. Margaret of Castello:
*The title “lustrous pearl of the Most High” is derived from Fr. Andrew Hofer’s beautiful hymn in honor of St. Margaret, O Lustrous Pearl in Heaven’s Light. (For those unaware, the name “Margaret” means “pearl.”) It also invokes the language of Luke 1:32, where the archangel Gabriel says of the child to be born of Mary, “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.”
**The title “virginal lily of the Mantellate” emphasizes the distinct privilege of St. Margaret as a virgin among the “Mantellate” (the name used for the third-order community she joined), which, at the time, consisted almost entirely of widows.
***The title “servant of the sick and the outcast” is taken from Sr. Mary Elizabeth O’Brien’s excellent book of the same name, Blessed Margaret of Castello: Servant of the Sick and the Outcast.
****The title “wondrous heart of pearls” alludes to the well-known testimony of others, who, after her death, found three pearls embedded within the heart of St. Margaret.
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Image: Workshop of the Cabrera Brothers, Saint Margaret of Castello (public domain)
