Please, who was the Italian Saint or Blessed... Young woman/girl, who had a crooked spine, she may have been "crippled" in that sense, this is important, it's not Gemma or Goretti but I remember her story but can't remember her name. She had a very positive attitude, some time ago, I forget exactly when, Renaissance or whenever, she was at one point in a Convent but they could not let her stay there long term and divine providence allowed her to stay with a family long term. I really want to read up on her more, I can't believe I have forgotten her name. There's a great movie on her.
Thanks so much, yes, I think her name was Margaret. We'll have to see, I will research it. She's quite fascinating.
You know who it is, Blessed Margaret of Castello, her "handicap" (if I may say that nowadays) definitely distinguished her, the movie was inspirational, one of those that at least for me, took me on a sort of spiritual journey. All of this rung a bell with me, so indeed, it put me on the right track. Because she was dwarfed, blind, hunchbacked and lame, Blessed Margaret was kept hidden by her parents throughout her childhood. When she was sixteen, she was taken from Metola to the miraculous shrine at Citta-di-Castello, where a cure was anticipated. Unfortunately, no miracle occurred, and it is recorded that the child was left abandoned. She was cared for by various families of the city and earned money for her board by attending small children. Her cheerfulness, based on trust and love of God, endeared her to everyone. Blessed Margaret of Castello became a Dominican tertiary and devoted herself to the sick and dying, but she showed special solicitude toward prisoners. Blessed Margaret of Castello (roman-catholic-saints.com) Little Margaret: This is not the Italian production I saw from more recent years, but here is something. I was stunned by the challenges she faced, yet, she was very self-effacing.
As shown in this trailer for the EWTN movie, Margaret's disposition, even against the odds she was up against, was one of joy, a joyous soul per the EWTN movie. I'm sure EWTN will show this, more likely in April with her feast day, otherwise, I think both movies are good. I am not sure if either movie really captures how short she actually was, 4 feet? That is short. At the St. Patrick Church in Columbus Ohio, there is a shrine for her, the shrine apparently established in the 1930s, so for quite some time.: The Shrine of Saint Margaret of Castello – Saint Margaret of Castello (littlemargaret.org) Concerning the examination of her corpse, per the link above: Blessed Margaret of Castello (roman-catholic-saints.com) Blessed Margaret of Castello had often been heard to say, "Oh, if you only knew what I have in my heart!" Inside her heart were found three pearls on which appeared to be carved religious symbols, and the images of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and St Joseph. The body was reclothed in a fresh habit and was placed in a new coffin. Many miracles followed this ceremony, and the cause, which was undertaken with renewed interest, came to a successful conclusion on October 19, 1609, when the Church officially recognized Margaret’s sanctity, pronouncing her a beata and designating April 13 as her feast day. So, I really need to read up on her and find out more. That would be amazing. Wikipedia article on her: Margaret of Castello - Wikipedia St. Magaret of Castello, Little Margaret, Pray for us!
"... Inside her heart were found three pearls on which appeared to be carved religious symbols, and the images of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and St Joseph." The link said they were pearls, the movie said they are little stones, who knows what is correct? .... but the movie said back in those days, St. Margaret of Castello went to her heavenly reward in 1320, anyway, the movie from EWTN says it was a common autopsy procedure to investigate the heart in this manner, something like this. So, just relaying what I heard.
