Thanks to my son Josh's tireless genealogical research, I recently found out Saint Margaret of Scotland is my 20 something-ish great grandmother. So now I love genealogy again. Because, to me, the idea that I might have just a drop or two of the courage and faith of those who came before is very inspiring.
About Saint. Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland (Scots: Saint Magret, c. 1045 – 16 November 1093), also known as Margaret of Wessex, was an English princess, a descendent of St. Albert the Great, and a Scottish queen. After William the Conquer invaded Saxon English in 1066, she and her family fled north, Margaret married Malcolm III of Scotland by the end of 1070.
Like her grandfather King Alfred, Saint Margaret of Scotland was a devoted Christian who did many charitable works for the poor. She was known to fast often, possibly to the point that it affected her health.
St. Margaret’s kind-nature greatly influenced King Malcolm. She read to him from the Bible, softened his temper and helped him become a virtuous King. Together the couple prayed, fed the hungry, and were a wonderful example to their countrymen.
St. Margaret was the mother of three kings of Scotland, or four, if Edmund of Scotland (who ruled with his uncle, Donald III) is counted, and of a queen consort of England. She died at Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1093, days after receiving the news of her husband’s death in battle.
In 1250, Pope Innocent IV canonized her, and her remains were re-interred in a shrine in Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland. She is the patron saint of Scotland. While I don’t think that Saint Margaret was necessarily given a lot of free choice in life, she allowed God to work through her in a way I truly admire.
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The information for this article came from Catholic OnlineCatholic Online and Wikipedia.
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