BL. MARIA MAGDOLNA BODI, MARTYR

BL. MARIA MAGDOLNA BODI, MARTYR - 23 MARCH

BLESSED MARIA MAGDOLNA BODI, VIRGIN AND MARTYR

Blessed Mária Magdolna Bódi (Maria Magdolna Bodi), often referred to as "Magdi," was a Hungarian laywoman and martyr recognized by the Catholic Church for her heroic faith and sacrifice.

She was born on August 8, 1921 in Szigliget, Hungary to a relatively poor family. Her parents were farm servants, who worked for different employers and moved around different villages on the western coast of Lake Balaton during Magdi’s childhood. Magdi had two brothers: Gyula and János (John). The marriage of their parents was irregular, and her father was uneducated in religious matters.

Magdi distinguished herself in her childhood by her deep piety. She said many prayers every night. She offered many prayers for the conversion of her father, too. Magdi loved her father in spite of his drunkenness and bad manners. Sometimes she put herself between him and her mother when he was trying to abuse her while drunk. She practiced a lot of self-denial: she made a vow not to be fashionable in hairstyle and never went bathing in the Balaton, even though the large Hungarian lake was only a few kilometres from her home. Every Sunday, she walked multiple kilometres to the church for Mass to the nearest church at the time.

Her mother remarked about her childhood: “She could be very stubborn when it came to doing good”. She was a very good student in school. She helped other children memorize the contents of the religion class.

Magdi wanted to enter a religious order, but her being an illegitimate child due to the not settled marriage of her parents made her entry difficult at the time. She wanted to dedicate her entire life to Jesus, even if she could not become a nun, and served Him in the world instead. She then made a private vow of chastity on the feast of Christ the King in 1941 and lived out her faith as a laywoman.

Working as a factory worker in Balatonfűzfő, Magdi became a beacon of hope and charity during the turmoil of World War II. She organized a group of young women to assist the poor, elderly, and sick, and she led efforts to bring others closer to God through prayer and example. Her cheerful, humble demeanour and steadfast faith earned her respect among her peers, even in a secular environment.

On March 23, 1945, at the age of 24, Magdi was martyred in Litér, Hungary. As Soviet troops advanced through the region near the end of the war, she and other women knew this heralded the certainty of being raped. When two Soviet soldiers attacked a group of women near a shelter, Magdi resisted an assault on her chastity, choosing to defend her vow to Christ even at the cost of her life. She urged her mother and companions to flee, saying, “Mother, go away from here, I am going to die now!” As she tried to escape, one of the soldiers shot her multiple times. With her rosary in hand, she raised her arms to heaven and cried out, “Lord, my King, take me to Yourself!” before succumbing to her wounds.

After her death, the soldiers laid the girl lying in her blood on the steps of the shelter - perhaps to avoid being conspicuous - and her father took her from there. A proper burial was out of the question for days, so at first she was buried wrapped in a blanket. A few days later, Father József Temesi organized the cemetery groups set up to clear the bodies of those who had been killed in the area; the group operating in the Litér area was led by Fr István Oross. After her exhumation, Magdi's body was placed in the liturgical coffin of the parish of Vűzfőgyártelep and buried there. Fr István Oross celebrated her funeral service.

Her martyrdom was recognized by His Holiness Pope Francis on May 23, 2024, when he approved a decree affirming that she was killed in odium fidei (out of hatred for the faith), paving the way for her beatification. She was officially declared Blessed on April 26, 2025, in a ceremony in Veszprém, Hungary, presided over by Cardinal Péter Erdő as the papal delegate. Her beatification, occurring 80 years after her death, was a significant event for the Veszprémi Főegyházmegye (Archdiocese of Veszprém) and the Hungarian Catholic community.

Blessed Mária Magdolna Bódi is celebrated as a model of purity, courage, and everyday holiness. Her life and death echo the witness of Saint Maria Goretti, another young woman who died defending her chastity, earning Magdi the nickname “Hungary’s Maria Goretti.” Her legacy continues to inspire, with her story commemorated through books, podcasts, memorials, and a traveling exhibit organized by the Archdiocese of Veszprém.

Sources:

https://www.bodimariamagdolna.hu/eletrajz/

https://x.com/father_rmv/status/1903799528005714343

https://christianfaith.info/christian-bodi/

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Magdi may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org

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