St. Margaret of Hungary, Virgin
Obligatory Memorial
Daughter of Béla IV, King of Hungary, and Maria Laskarina, daughter of the Emperor of Constantinople, Margaret was offered to God by her parents before her birth in 1242 for the liberation of their homeland.
Before the age of four, she was entrusted to the Dominican nuns at Veszprém. While still only twelve years old, she made religious profession at Buda, in the new monastery built for her by the king, into the hands of Master Humbert of Romans. There she advanced with remarkable eagerness and gave herself totally to Christ Crucified.
Devoted to monastic asceticism and works of mercy, she combined zeal for restoring peace and invincible courage in denouncing injustices with great gentleness toward the sisters, whom she desired to serve in the humblest ways.
Burning with marvelous love for the mystery of the Eucharist and the Passion of the Redeemer, she also shone with devotion to the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary. She became a victim of propitiation for the liberation of her people from the incursions of the Tatars.
She died on Jan. 18, 1270, and was numbered among the saints by Pius XII on Nov. 19, 1943. Her tomb disappeared in the 17th century.
Proprium Officiorum Ordinis Praedicatorum ad Normam Decretorum Sacrosancti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II Instauratum Vincentii Couesnongle iussu editum, Editio typica, Sanctae Sabinae, Romae 1982.
