The Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City is one of the unique churches in the Philippines that houses two national shrines; namely the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary and the National Shrine of St. Martin de Porres. The church can easily be associated with these national shrines and to the pious devotions that the devotees of the Lady and St. Martin have. However, the church too is the locale of a simple yet evocative devotion to a Beata, who throughout her life here on earth, was unwanted; such is the devotion to Beata Margarita de Castello.
The Life of the beata
The creed pertains to the set of beliefs that the devotees have towards the Beata. Thus, it will be of great help to understand and identify these beliefs by looking into the life of the Beata and through some of the prayers the devotees used in their devotions.
Blessed Margaret of Castello was born near Florence, Italy, in 1287, to a certain Emilia and Parisio of a noble Italian family. This beautiful couple had been expecting their first born to be like them, a physically beautiful person without any blemish. To their great surprise, when the day their first born came forth to the light, the baby girl was blind, cripple, and a dwarf. They could not bear to look at the baby girl. They were thinking of what other members of nobility would say about them, should they come to know about the misfortune and physical monstrosity of their first born. They decided to hide her forever, so they entrusted the care of the young Margaret to a nanny.
The nanny of Margaret was a pious Catholic. She taught to Margaret the basic tenets of Christian faith and the basic prayers. Margaret grew as a devote Catholic too, like her nanny. But one day, while Margaret was visiting the chapel in their castle, she was almost discovered by a visitor of her parents. Afraid that Margaret would eventually be discovered and her monstrosity be revealed to the public, her parents decided to place Margaret to a more secluded place.
Parisio commanded that a room be constructed beside the chapel in the middle of the forest under their care. The room has only two openings one for the food and the other for her daily communion. In that room, Margaret would be spending ten years of seclusion. However, the priest attending to the spiritual needs of Margaret discovered the peculiar receptivity of Margaret towards the faith. The priest-chaplain took to himself the responsibility of catechizing young Margaret. The seeds that the nanny planted were watered by the priest-chaplain. Margaret made sure these seeds of faith planted and watered, were taken care by her.
When Margaret was nineteen, her father’s territory was under threat. He decided to transfer her family from Florence to Mercatello to the south. Here, Margaret was hid in the cellar away from the eyes of the public. While in Mercatello, her parents heard of the miracles that had happened in Castello before the tomb of a Franciscan Third Order member, Fra Giacomo. Her parents decided to bring Margaret in Castello, in the hope that Margaret’s illness and defects would be healed and perfected. However, they were frustrated for no healing and miracle occurred. Her parents decided to leave Margaret in Castello. They abandoned her to other blind and crippled persons, believing that such is the place where she truly belonged. Margaret accepted her fate without any complains but with firm resolve towards the Divine Providence.
In Castello, Margaret showed an outstanding holiness. The people of Castello never heard her cursing her parents for abandoning her. She never made complains to the difficulties she was enduring. She begged for her daily sustenance, something she never did before in her pampered life. She was eventually invited by the cloistered nuns of St. Margaret's Monastery. Here, Margaret observed monastic life in great austerity. When doubts on her holiness emerged, she bore all these with great patience and fortitude. And the truth of her holiness was revealed.
Margaret was attracted to the Dominican way of life through the Dominicans she was able to encounter in the church she frequented. She joined the order of Mantellate, which today evolved as the Dominican laity. The prior of the community in Castello instructed her to the Dominican spirituality. Eventually, she was clothed with the Dominican habit. As a lay Dominican she took care of the sick, and dying. She even visited prisoners who were in inhumane situation, bringing food and medicine to them. Throughout her life, she had worked a number of miracles of different kinds.
She died on April 13, 1320, at the age of thirty-three. Margaret’s body remained to be incorrupt to this day, despite the simple embalming her body underwent. Her body is now displayed in the Church of San Dominico in the city of Castello. She was declared a Blessed by the Church on October 19, 1609.
The Creed
The life of the Beata serves as an inspiration to those who are unwanted, abandoned, discouraged and tempted to self-pity.
Devotees believe that the Beata can obtain for the following graces and blessings from God:
· The grace to recognize the Will of God in all that may happen to me in my life and so resign myself to it.
· The grace and courage that I so urgently need so as to be able to bear my infirmities and endure my afflictions in union with our Suffering Savior.
· The grace to persevere in my prayer, confident that God will give me the help to carry whatever cross comes into my life.
· That same attitude of obedience toward all those who have legitimate authority over me, most especially toward the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
· The grace to recognize my human limitations and to acknowledge my utter dependence upon God. Acquire for me that abandonment which leaves me completely at the mercy of God to do with me whatsoever He wills.
· The grace to learn how to endure my sufferings with patience.
· The grace that I might see all my human loves and affections in their proper perspective... in God and for God.
· The grace to recognize Jesus in everyone with whom I come into contact, especially in the poor, the wretched, the unwanted!
Most of these graces that devotees wished to obtain through the Beata were the graces she herself had procured for herself when she was still alive, as manifested by her sanctity of life.
The Community
The devotees of the Beata in Santo Domingo Church formed a community. They call themselves as the Blessed Margaret of Castello Movement (hence forth BMCM). They are a parish based organization spearheading the growth and propagation of the devotion to the Beata. It was established in the Santo Domingo Parish (attached to the Santo Domingo Church), for a number of purpose, namely:
· to promote the devotion to and the canonization of Blessed Margaret
· to organize various programs to benefit “The Unwanted,” especially the poor and underprivileged;
· to promote social justice;
· to further the cause of Respect for Life; and
· to promote the principles and ideals carried out by her in her work as a tertiary of the Dominican Order.
These purpose of BMCM are very much in line with the life and inspiration of the Beata. They emphasized the great need for a pastoral care for those who are unwanted. The members of BMCM efficaciously carry out their purpose for they themselves had or have experience being unwanted. Most of the members of the BMCM belong to class D and E from the informal settlers in the Parish. Some of them too are members of PWD (People with disability). In fact their de facto leader is Mr. Sonny Gokilai, a wheelchair-bound person.
The Code
The BMCM live under rules of conduct and behavior. These rules present the way the members live-out their beliefs. The members of the BMCM strive and encourage others to live a life exemplified by the Beata. They promote the devotion to and the canonization of the Beata. They organize various programs to benefit “The Unwanted,” especially the poor and underprivileged;
They promote social justice. They further the cause of Respect for Life. And they promote the principles and ideals carried out by her in her work as a tertiary of the Dominican Order.
The BMCM also organize a group sharing among the devotees. It can be likened to a peer group discussion wherein everyone may share their stories of being unwanted, rejected and discouraged. These group sharings are done in the church every after the votive mass on Thursdays, 6 pm, after the veneration the Beata’s relic. They would last from 6:30 to 9:00 pm.
The Cult
The cult exercised by BMCM presents the manner by which the devotees of the Beata express their veneration and acts of honoring her. It also showcases the way the devotees propagate the devotion to the Beata. The cult takes various forms which are practiced in Santo Domingo Church every Thursday, 5:30 to 9:00 pm.
The Perpetual Novena to the Beata is said every Thursday followed by a Mass. The Novena is as follow:
First Day:
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, in embracing your life just as it was, you gave us an example of resignation to the Will of God. In so accepting God's Will, you knew that you would grow in virtue, glorify God, save your own soul, and help the souls of your neighbors. Obtain for me the grace to recognize the Will of God in all that may happen to me in my life and so resign myself to it. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray:
O God, by whose Will the blessed Virgin, Margaret, was blind from birth, that the eyes of her mind being inwardly enlightened she might think without ceasing on You alone; be the light of our eyes, that we may be able to flee the shadows in this world, and reach the home of never-ending light. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, glorify your servant blessed Margaret, by granting the favor we so ardently desire. This we ask in humble submission to God's Will, for His Honor and Glory and the salvation of souls.
Our Father... Hail Mary . Glory Be ..
Second Day
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, in reflecting so deeply upon the sufferings and death of our Crucified Lord, you learned courage and gained the grace to bear your own afflictions. Obtain for me the grace and courage that I so urgently need so as to be able to bear my infirmities and endure my afflictions in union with our Suffering Savior. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray: 0 God,...
Third Day:
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, your love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was intense and enduring. It was here in intimacy with the Divine Presence that you found spiritual strength to accept suffering, to be cheerful, patient and kindly towards others. Obtain for me the grace that I may draw from this same source, as from an exhaustible font, the strength whereby I may be kind and understanding of everyone despite whatever pain or discomfort may come my way. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray: 0 God,...
Fourth Day:
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, you unceasingly turned to God in prayer with confidence and trust in His Fatherly love. It was only through continual prayer that you were enabled to accept your misfortunes, to be serene, patient, and at peace. Obtain for me the grace to persevere in my prayer, confident that God will give me the help to carry whatever cross comes into my life. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray: 0 God,...
Fifth Day:
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, in imitation of the Child Jesus, who was subject to Mary and Joseph, you obeyed your father and mother, overlooking their unnatural harshness. Obtain for me that same attitude of obedience toward all those who have legitimate authority over me, most especially toward the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray: 0 God,...
Sixth Day:
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, your miseries taught you better than any teacher the weakness and frailty of human nature. Obtain for me the grace to recognize my human limitations and to acknowledge my utter dependence upon God. Acquire for me that abandonment which leaves me completely at the mercy of God to do with me whatsoever He wills. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray: 0 God,...
Seventh Day:
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, you could have so easily become discouraged and bitter; but, instead, you fixed your eyes on the suffering Christ and there you learned from Him the redemptive value of suffering how to offer your pains and aches, in reparation for sin and for the salvation of souls. Obtain for me the grace to learn how to endure my sufferings with patience. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray: 0 God,...
Eighth Day:
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, how it must have hurt when your parents abandoned you! Yet you learned from this that all earthly love and affection, even for those who are closest, must be sanctified. And so, despite everything, you continued to love your parents -but now you loved them in God. Obtain for me the grace that I might see all my human loves and affections in their proper perspective... in God and for God. Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray: 0 God,...
Ninth Day:
O Blessed Margaret of Castello, through your suffering and misfortune, you became sensitive to the sufferings of others. Your heart reached out to everyone in trouble -the sick, the hungry, the dying prisoners. Obtain for me the grace to recognize Jesus in everyone with whom I come into contact, especially in the poor, the wretched, the unwanted! Obtain for me also the special favor which I now ask through your intercession with God.
Let us pray: 0 God,...
The devotees also prays the Prayer for the Canonization of the Beata. The Prayer is as follow:
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, glorify your servant blessed Margaret, by granting the favor we so ardently desire. This we ask in humble submission to God's Will, for His honor and glory and the salvation of souls.
O my God, I thank you for having given Blessed Margaret of Castello to the world as an example of the degree of holiness that can be attained by anyone who truly loves you, regardless of physical abnormalities. In today's perverted culture, Margaret would have, most likely, never been born; death through abortion being preferable to life, especially life in an ugly distorted twisted body. But Your ways are not the world's ways... and so it was Your Will that Margaret would be born into the world with just such a malformed body. It is Your way that uses our weakness to give testimony to Your power. Margaret was born blind, so as to see You more clearly; A cripple, so as to lean on You completely; Dwarfed in physical posture, so as to become a giant in the spiritual order; hunch-backed, so as to more perfectly resemble the twisted, crucified body of Your Son. Margaret's whole life was an enactment of the words expressed by Paul: "So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me and that is why I am content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions and the agonies I go through for Christ's sake. For It is when I am weak that I am strong." (2 Cor 12:10).
I beseech you, 0 God, to grant through the intercession of Blessed Margaret of Castello, that all the handicapped ...And who among us is not?...All rejected, all unwanted of the world may make their weaknesses their own special boast so that your power may stay over them now and forever. Amen.
Blessed Margaret of Castello, pray for us.
(Pray 3 Our Father's and3 Hail Mary's)
After the Mass, the BMCM facilitates the kissing and veneration of the Relic of the Beata. Devotees would line up in the front of the sanctuary, in the like manner of taking communion, and kiss the relic of the Beata encased in a gilded reliquary. While kissing the relic, they utter their prayers and ask the Beata for her intercessions.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Church Document
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines. Vatican City: 2001.
Books
Commission on Liturgy and Prayer – Dominican Province of the Philippines, Supplement to the Liturgy of the Hours for the Order of Preachers in the Philippines. Quezon City: Dominican Province of the Philippines, 2009.
Mercado, SVD, Leonardo N. ed. Filipino Popular Devotions. Manila: Logos Publications, Inc, 2000.
Raas, SVD, Bernard, Popular Devotions. Manila: Logos Publications, 1992.
Raas, SVD, Bernard, Popular Devotions. Manila: Logos Publications, 1992.
Internet Sources
Blessed Margaret of Castello and the Pro-Life Movement. Accessed November 23, 2015. Available from http://www.op.org/en/content/blessed-margaret-castello-and-pro-life-movement.
Blessed Margaret of Castello. Accessed November 30, 2015. Available from http://nashvilledominican.org/Charism/mOur_Dominican_Heritage/Our_Saints_and_Blesseds/Bl_Margaret_of_Castello.
La Casse, O.P., Andre-Joseph, Blessed Margaret of Castello. Accessed http://laydominicans.org/study/dominican-saints/blessed-margaret-of-castello/. Available from November 23, 2015.
Nugent Madeline Pecora, A Patroness for the Pro-life movement: Blessed Margaret of Castello. Accessed http://www.priestsforlife.org/testimonies/1176-a-patroness-for-the-pro-life-movement-blessed-margaret-of-castello. Available from November 27, 2015.
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