For the baby was not the "perfect" child of which they'd dreamed. Instead, she was a homely, blind hunchback, with one leg considerably shorter than the other. Lady Emilia and Lord Parisio could find no room in their hearts for their baby, and wanted nothing to do with her. But a kindly servant girl took her and had her baptized "Margaret," which means "pearl."

When she was six years old, Margaret's father led his daughter to a secluded spot in the woods and had her locked in a cell. Although she suffered terribly in that small, dank, stone prison, Margaret received the Grace to transcend her surroundings. At a tender age, she saw God's plan for her, which she revealed to a visiting priest: "Jesus was rejected even by His own people, and God is letting me be treated the same so that I can follow Our dear Lord more Closely." She endured 14 years in her cell, growing ever closer to Christ.

When she was 20, Margaret's parents let her journey to a shrine in Castello, where they hoped for a miraculous "cure" to her deformities. They soon realized no change would be forthcoming, and abandoned Margaret in the unfamiliar city.

Margaret soon found a home with a kindly family. She spent the next 13 years tending the sick, visiting prisoners, and praying. People for whom she cared sometimes recovered miraculously—gaining her a reputation for sanctity.

When one of Margaret's friends expressed sympathy for her bodily afflictions, Margaret reassured him with a smile: "If you only knew what I have in my heart!"

She died in 1320 at the age of 33. According to legend, when her body was prepared for burial, the monks found three pearls in her heart—each one carved into the shape of a saint.

Blessed Margaret
Illustration by Lori Hadacek

1. Print out the coloring page for your children, and talk to them about what the symbols mean.

2. Use Blessed Margaret's life to teach your children that all human life is precious and worthy. Even a baby born with terrible deformities is a part of God's loving plan—perhaps as a lesson in love for his parents. Encourage your children to spiritually adopt an unwanted baby who is in danger. Explain—as I did to my five-year-old daughter—that they are adopting a baby in their heart, perhaps to prepare for being parents themselves someday.

If your children like the idea, here is what they must do:

• Name the baby they are adopting. (Discuss with each of your children whether he wishes to choose a baby boy or girl). My daughter named her baby Elizabeth, after St. John the Baptist's mother
  
• Say the following simple prayer: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to take good care of name chosen, the unwanted baby whom I have spiritually adopted.
  
• Each morning and evening for a year, repeat this petition, along with their regular prayers. (Say it with them for the first few weeks).

  Don't be surprised how much each of your children will enjoy praying for his baby.