Saint Margaret of Scotland, Queen & Widow
S. Margaritae Reginae Viduae
Saint Margaret of Scotland was an eleventh-century queen, wife of King Malcolm III, renowned for her deep piety, her reform of the Church in her realm, and her boundless charity toward the poor.
Saint Margaret was born about the year 1045, of the royal house of England, and spent part of her childhood in exile at the court of Hungary. After the Norman Conquest, the ship carrying her family was driven by storm to the shores of Scotland, where she was received by King Malcolm III, who took her as his wife. The prayer of her feast praises God, who made this blessed queen wonderful in her remarkable charity toward the poor.
A holy queen
As queen, Margaret used her influence wholly for good. She softened the manners of the court, encouraged learning and the building of churches, and laboured to bring the practice of the faith in Scotland into fuller harmony with the wider Church, taking part in councils that addressed the keeping of Lent, the reception of the Sacraments, and the observance of the Lord’s Day. She restored the monastery of Iona and founded churches, and her husband, who could not read, so revered her piety that he would have her sacred books adorned with gold and jewels.
A mother and servant of the poor
Margaret was the mother of eight children, whom she raised with great care in the fear of God; among them was Saint David, afterward a holy king of Scotland. Her charity to the poor knew no measure. She served orphans and beggars with her own hands, washed the feet of the needy, and during Advent and Lent fed great numbers of the destitute, often before she would take food herself. Her life was one of constant prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, joined to the faithful discharge of her duties as wife, mother, and queen.
Her holy death and witness today
Worn by penance and illness, Margaret received the news that her husband and eldest son had fallen in battle even as she lay dying in the castle of Edinburgh in the year 1093. She met this sorrow with serene faith, giving thanks to God, and died shortly after, fortified by the Sacraments. She was canonised in 1250. The Church prays on her feast that, by her intercession and example, the charity of God may continually increase in our hearts. In Saint Margaret the duties of a queen and the holiness of a saint were perfectly joined.
The Collect
O God, who didst make blessed Queen Margaret wonderful by her remarkable charity toward the poor: grant, by her intercession and example, that Thy charity may continually increase in our hearts. Through our Lord.
Deus, qui beátam Margarítam regínam exímia in páuperes caritáte mirábilem effecísti: da; ut, ejus intercessióne et exémplo, tua in córdibus nostris cáritas júgiter augeátur. Per Dóminum.
Patronage
She is venerated as a patroness of Scotland, and is invoked as a patron of large families, widows, and those who have lost children.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar her feast is observed on 16 November, the day of her death, as an optional memorial.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Margaret of Scotland?
In the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal her feast is kept on 10 June, as a Third Class feast. In the modern calendar it is observed on 16 November.
Who was Saint Margaret of Scotland?
She was an English-born princess (c. 1045–1093) who became Queen of Scotland as the wife of King Malcolm III. She was renowned for her piety, her reform of the Church in Scotland, and her great charity toward the poor, and she was canonised in 1250.
Why is she venerated?
She is honoured as a model of Christian womanhood who united the duties of wife, mother, and queen with a life of prayer, penance, and tireless service of the poor. She is a patroness of Scotland.
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