EBNER, Margaret, Blessed. - Dominican, born in 1291 at Donauwörth (Swabia), died 20 June 1351 at Medingen. A descendant of the illustrious family of Verda, endowed with rich spiritual qualities, the frail Margaret entered at the age of fifteen the flourishing monastery of Medingen, which through her merits became one of the centers of Dominican spirituality. From 1311 she was entirely abandoned to God; from 1312 to 1313 she was gravely ill; from 1314 to 1332 she was confined to her bed for half that time, yet consoled by God. In 1332 the secular priest Henry of Nordlingen gave her mystical direction. Unable to perform severe external penances, Margaret mortified herself in food, bearing, and sleep, devoting herself to a life of prayer and contemplation inspired by the liturgical cycle and characterized by meditation on the mysteries of the Lord’s life, interspersed with Pater Nosters and Aves, a method known as the *Pater Noster*.
Devoted to the Eucharist and to the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, she cherished the *Anima Christi* and the like. She particularly devoted herself to praying for the dead. In 1344 a statue of the Infant Jesus was sent to her from Vienna. At the request of Nordlingen, from December 1344 Margaret dictated or wrote down in the *Revelations* many notes on her spiritual life from 1312 to 1348. Even from afar (Avignon, Constance, Basel, Strasbourg, Cologne), Nordlingen kept in touch with Margaret, making her acquaintances friends of hers and maintaining an active correspondence with her. Becoming a central figure among the Friends of God, even the Taufer himself commended himself to her prayers. This correspondence, the *Revelations*, and the *Pater Noster* “are indispensable documents for understanding the religious life of the period” (G. Gabetti). Her life and spirituality were always marked by suffering and infirmity of various kinds, borne with unshaken Christian fortitude and rich in supernatural charisms. Margaret enjoyed a widespread reputation for holiness even during her lifetime. Regarding her cult, although the process begun in 1686 was remitted to the diocesan tribunal of Augsburg and on 4 November 1710 issued an affirmative sentence, confirmation by the Holy See is still awaited.