Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi

Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, O.Carm.
An engraving of St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi from an 1878 book, Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints
Virgin
Born	Caterina de' Pazzi April 2, 1566 Florence, Duchy of Florence
Died	May 25, 1607(1607-05-25) (aged 41) Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	1626, Rome, Papal States, by Pope Urban VIII
Canonized	April 28, 1669, Rome, Papal States, by Pope Clement X
Major shrine	Monastery of Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, , Florence, Italy
Feast	May 25 (May 29 from 1728-1969)
Patronage	against bodily ills; against sexual temptation; against sickness; sick people; Naples (co-patron)

Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, O.Carm. (Italian: Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi; April 2, 1566 – May 25, 1607) was an Italian Carmelite nun and mystic. She has been declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

Pazzi was born at Florence, Italy, on April 2, 1566, to Camillo di Geri de' Pazzi, a member of one of the wealthiest and most distinguished noble families of Renaissance Florence, and Maria Buondelmonti. She was christened Caterina, but in the family was called Lucrezia, out of respect for her paternal grandmother, Lucrezia Mannucci. Even as a girl Caterina was attracted to prayer, solitude, and penance.

At the age of nine Pazzi was taught how to meditate by the family chaplain, using a recently published work explaining how one should meditate on the Passion of Christ. Years later, this book was one of the items she brought with her to the monastery. She made her First Communion at the then-early age of 10 and made a vow of virginity one month later. She experienced her first ecstasy when she was only twelve, in her mother's presence. From then on, she continued to exhibit many varied mystical experiences.

In 1580, at age fourteen, Pazzi was sent by her father to be educated at a monastery of nuns of the Order of Malta, but she was soon recalled to wed a young nobleman. Caterina advised her father of her vow, and he eventually relented and allowed her to enter monastic life. She chose the Carmelite Monastery of St. Mary of the Angels in Florence because the rule there allowed her to receive Holy Communion daily. In 1583 she was accepted as a novice by that community, and given the religious name of Sister Mary Magdalene.