Happy Feast of St Margaret, Queen of Scotland!
In the traditional calendar, 10 June remains the Feast of St Margaret (celebrated in modern parishes on 16 November.)
Below, the edifying context for the prayer quoted in the image above:
In 1093, Malcolm and their oldest son died in battle. Instead of crying out to God with sorrow, Margaret, who already had a severe illness from all of the fasting she did, cried out, “I give praise and thanks to Thee, Almighty God, for that Thou hast been pleased that I should endure such deep sorrow at my departing, and I trust that by means of this suffering it is Thy pleasure that I should be cleansed from some of the stains of my sins” (Life of St. Margaret Queen of Scotland, Turgot 79). Four days later, on November 16, 1093, Margaret passed away after living a full life of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. Source
From the website of the Guild of Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland…
St Margaret was born about 1045 or 1047 in Hungary. She was an English princess whose family had sought refuge at the Christian court of the Kings of Hungary when the throne of England was seized by the Viking, King Cnut. Her mother was either German or Hungarian, but her father Edward was a direct descendant of the old Anglo-Saxon house of Wessex. The family returned to England in 1054 in the hopes that Edward would be recognized as the heir to King Edward the Confessor, but after his death and the Norman conquest of England, it became clear that Margaret’s family would not succeed to the English throne. Quite why she and her mother, sister and brother came to Scotland is not clear, but the family landed in Fife in 1068 and were welcomed by the King of Scots, Malcolm III, whose palace was nearby at Dunfermline.
Malcolm and Margaret were married in Dunfermline in 1070 and had 8 children, 6 boys and 2 girls. Three of her sons went on to become Kings of Scots and her elder daughter became Queen of England when she married Henry 1, the third son of William the Conqueror.
Margaret had been brought up in Christian courts, first in Hungary and then in England, especially in the discipline of the Benedictines and she founded a Benedictine abbey in Dunfermline. She lived her life according to this rule, with an emphasis on prayer, fasting, and caring for the poor. She showed respect for the native Celtic church, and, with the support of her husband, managed to reconcile its practices with those of the Roman church.
(Editor: “Celtic Church” is a misnomer. There was never any “Celtic Church” as such, as even this non-Catholic article makes clear).
An account of her life was written by the monk Turgot at the request of her daughter Edith shortly after her death and she was canonized in 1250. The best known miracle associated with St Margaret was the preservation of her gospel book which had fallen into a river, and her shrine at Dunfermline was the scene of several miracles of healing.
She died, probably in Edinburgh castle in 1093, shortly after hearing of the death of her husband and eldest son in battle.
A booklet entitled ‘St. Margaret and her Chapel’ is available in the Chapel for a suggested donation of £2. The booklets are only available in the Chapel. Source
In 1250, Pope Innocent IV canonized her, and her remains were reinterred in a shrine in Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland. Her relics were dispersed after the Scottish Reformation and subsequently lost. (Wikipedia)
Editor writes…
As with all Feast Day threads, feel free to discuss all relevant issues (would – for example – St Margaret approve of our Scottish Parliament? The Scottish Bishops?) and share your favourite prayers, poems, hymns and stories, including jokes, of the “good clean fun” variety.
Above all, remember to pray for Scotland today. St Margaret, Queen of Scotland, pray for us!
Happy Feast everyone!
Comments (11)
I knew of St. Margaret of Scotland but never knew her feast day! Thank you Madame Editor! ❤️❤️
10 June is the day that my uncle Michael S. died, my sister’s and BIL’s wedding anniversary (27 years), plus it’s the wedding anniversary of 2 of our parishioners – their Golden Anniversary! Now I have another reason to celebrate!
Margaret USA
Lots of anniversaries today! And looks like she’s YOUR patron saint as well – something else to celebrate!
I’ve discovered that St Margaret of Scotland is a fairly popular patron for parishes in America, as well, so here’s a sermon from one of those parishes – I’ve not heard it right through but it seems to be a solid history with, hopefully, a meaningful spiritual/religious message… Happy Feast!
I enjoyed that beautiful sermon. I really didn’t know much at all about St Margaret, I’m ashamed to say.
Happy Feast day, bloggers all!
That is a great sermon, and St Margaret was a truly great person and queen. She prayed a lot, even during the night, and fasted so that her health was affected, at one point, not that I’m suggesting that’s a good thing, but saints are special and she did the prayer and fasting in addition to what the priest calls her “social programme”. She was actively caring for people in need as well as praying.
I didn’t know that North and South Queensferry were called after her – she organised a ferry to take pilgrims to a shrine of St Andrew, and that ran for 900 years, would you believe, and only ended when the Forth Road Bridge was built.
It’s an excellent sermon – I’ve learnt a lot about St Margaret from that American priest, LOL!
Happy Feast to all CTS bloggers.
Do I think St Margaret would approve of the Scottish Parliament or the Scottish bishops – no, I do not! She would heartily disapprove, IMHO. She’d be fasting and praying in reparation for both institutions.
Happy Feast everyone!
Happy Feast of St Margaret, Queen of Scotland, everyone!
A very happy Feast of St Margaret of Scotland to one and all!
A Happy Feast of Saint Margaret of Scotland, everyone.
A happy feast day everyone.
I love St Margaret she is a very underrated Saint in Scottish Catholicism and one whose name is prolific throughout both sides of my family.
I agree with you Josephine l think she would be appalled at the civil and ecclesiastical authorities in our land today.
I ask for her intercessory prayers for all of you and your loved ones.
In addition a special prayers for our beloved Scotland for the Church and the Parliament as they are in dire need of Divine guidance and illumination.
St Margaret pray for us!
Every blessing
Michael 🙏
If you have about 30 minutes to kill (!), here’s the entry on St. Margaret from Butler’s Lives of the Saints. Lots of Anglo-Saxon history in here:
https://www.bartleby.com/210/6/101.html
Thanks to those who have contributed to this Feast Day thread, now closed to comments.
St Margaret of Scotland, pray for us!
Comments are closed.