In different places, activities are beginning to appear to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the birth in Florence of St. Mary Magdalen de’Pazzi. In the conference room of the Carmelite parish in Ayala, Madrid, on the 12th and 13th of November, the 6th Seminar of “Textos para un Milenio” (Texts for a Millennium) was held, focusing this year on the life and doctrine of this Carmelite saint. The Prior General, Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., opened the seminar which numbered among its speakers, Fr. Mario Alfarano, O.Carm., the delegate for the anniversary celebrations, who spoke about the life and spiritual profile of the saint, and Fr. Míceál O’Neill, O.Carm., who spoke about her mystical experience in the liturgy. Other speakers were the professors, Henar Pizarro, the director of Texts for a Millennium, who spoke about the echoes of Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi’s canonisation in Spain, Maria Jesus Fernandez Cordero, who spoke about her theological approach to the Incarnate Word, and Esther Jimenez Pablo whose theme was the Jesuit influence in the saint’s life.

The Carmelite Third Order of the province of Italy, has been publishing regularly a series of leaflets as aids to reflection, centred this year on the doctrine of St. Mary Magdalen de’Pazzi, and  written by the nuns in the monastery of Sutri (Viterbo, Italy). The leaflets contain a number of texts from the writings of the saint and points for reflection, for both individuals and groups.

In the monastery of Granada (Spain) founded in 1508, work is being done on an exhibition with different artistic representations of the saint down through the years.

Very soon, on the website of the Order (www.ocarm.org) a permanent section devoted to the commemoration of the birth of St. Mary Magdalen de’Pazzi will appear.