Blessed Margaret of Castello: Servant of the Sick and the Outcast

In Pope Francis’ Misericordiae Vultus, he writes “During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we look forward to the experience of opening our hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society.”Dr. Mary Elizabeth O’Brien, OP, has completed a comprehensive study of the life and ministry of Blessed Margaret of Castello, a thirteenth century Dominican Tertiary. Blessed Margaret’s life, as illustrated in Dr. O’Brien’s work, vividly exemplifies what Pope Francis is calling all people of the world to embrace, to become ministers of mercy and compassion. Margaret, born blind and with serious physical challenges, abandoned by her parents and left homeless, experienced firsthand the indifference and suffering of those she was called by God to serve, the poor, the sick and the outcast. With a profound faith in a Loving Father, she brought hope and healing to the lost and the unwanted. This ministry is what we are called upon to embrace today; to transform our world so that every person is loved and cared for as the summit of God’s creative genius. Blessed Margaret’s life gives us this model of mercy and compassion.