Who is this Carmelite nun?  Born on the 2^nd April, 1566, of two noble families, her father being Messer Camillo Geri de' Pazzi and her mother Madonna Maria Buondelmonti. At her baptism she was given the name of Caterina. From her childhood she showed a love of prayer and penance. She was very generous in distributing charity to the poor, and showed an apostolic spirit to teach religious truths. As a young noble lady she had a charm and sweetness of nature that made her a general favourite. Caterina had an intense attraction towards the holy eucharist, and longed to receive it frequently. 

At the age of ten she made her first holy communion and shortly afterwards vowed her virginity to God desiring to be only his. At the age of fourteen she was sent to school at the convent of the Cavalleresse di San Giovanni di Malta. After finishing her studies, she announced to her parents the resolution to enter the cloister. Although her parents were very religious, they found it difficult to relinquish their only daughter and showed opposition, but they gave up and finally in December 1582 she joined the Carmelite monastery of Santa Maria degl'Angeli, founded by four Florentine ladies in 1450, and renowned for its rigorous observance. Her chief reason for choosing this monastery was the fact that the Carmelites received Holy Communion daily, a very rare privilege in those times.  As a Carmelite nun Caterina took the name of Maria Maddalena. Due to a severe illness she made her profession of the vows in articulo mortis on the 29^th May 1584. 

After her profession, she was subject for forty consecutive days to daily ecstasies, after receiving holy communion.  She recovered from her illness but remained frail throughout her life. However, in spite of her constant bad health, she was able to fulfills with energy the various offices to which she was appointed. She became mistress of girls coming to the monastery with the aim of discerning whether they had a vocation, teacher and mistress of the juniors and novice mistress. In 1604 she was appointed sub-prioress. Although till her death, the saint's life was one series of raptures and ecstasies, she was able to carry on work belonging to her office. She was artistically talented, loved embroidery and painting. She expressed her ecstatic experiences through drama. Besides her ecstasies God allowed her to be tried by terrible inward desolation and temptations. Worthy of note are the temptations to commit suicide, to leave the cloister, and temptations against the faith. However the deep humility she possessed together with an immovable trust in her Beloved Jesus enabled her to overcome these difficult moments and only served to make her virtues shine more brilliantly in the eyes of her community.

Her contemporaries testify that the frequent ecstasies did not interfere with the saint's commitments in her community. She was noted for her strong common-sense, as well as for the high standard of her direction, and was most dearly loved to the end of her life by all for the spirit of intense charity that accompanied her. She was also renowned for the gift of reading the hearts and of prophecy. Mary Magdalene's ardent love for Christ and the Church made her genuinely wish to live long in order to proclaim the mercy and love of God to all creatures. She died on the 25^th May 1607 after a three year long painful illness, borne with heroic joy to the end. Pope Urban VIII beatified her in 1626 and Clement IX canonized her on the 28^th April 1669. Her feast is kept on 25^th of May. She is still well loved in Florence where to this day her Carmelite community, made up of twelve nuns, lives in the monastery where the saint’s incorrupt body is preserved, maintaining the delicate smile given away by the saint on the point of her death while exclaiming: Benedictus Deus – Blessed be God. Her body is still preserved in the monastery's church under the main altar.

In November of 2004, the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II the Great presented her as a model for consecrated persons in the Church:

MESSAGE TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN
THE SECOND WORLD CONGRESS
ON CONSECRATED LIFE
23-27 November 2004

Dear brothers and sisters,

"Passion for Christ, Passion for Humanity": this was the theme that guided your reflection at the Congress. During it, you clearly expressed your commitment to set out continually from Christ to learn to love your neighbour as he was loved by Christ, who "came not to be served but serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10: 45).

The Carmelite mystic, St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, transported by her love for the divine Bridegroom, called upon the souls of consecrated men and women to love Love, a Love unloved: "O souls, created of love and for love, why do you not love Love?"; and she implored Love: "O Love, who are not loved or known. Love, make all creatures love you, O Love" (PR 2, 188-189).

This love, this burning ardour for Christ and for souls, this unquenchable thirst for divine love and this desire to take it to all men and women must constantly nourish your effort for personal conversion, holiness and evangelisation.

JOHN PAUL II
From the Vatican, 26 November 2004