St. Mary of the Angels (Maria Fontanella) | Purity, Carmelite, & Odor of Sanctity (16 December)

About this sermon

Today we celebrate the Carmelite feast of St. Mary of the Angels (Maria Fontanella), a remarkable 17th-century Italian Carmelite nun whose interior life of prayer, purity, and perseverance led to extraordinary sanctity. Born in 1661 in Italy, Maria showed deep piety from early childhood—even attempting, at the age of six, to run off into the desert to live a life of holiness. Despite personal loss, family resistance, and intense spiritual trials, she entered the Carmelite Order at only 14 years old. Her early religious life was marked by homesickness, spiritual desolation, and even diabolical visions, yet she persevered through deep contemplative prayer, guided by obedience and humility. Over time, she became novice mistress and prioress, known for her patience with others and severity only toward herself. One of the most extraordinary signs of her sanctity was the odor of sanctity, which she possessed for the last 20 years of her life—while still living. Even objects she touched retained the fragrance, and relics reportedly do so even today. Though she founded a convent and was sought after by both the faithful and the King of Sardinia for spiritual counsel, her true greatness lay not in external works, but in her hidden interior life—a life rooted in purity of intention, silence, and contemplative union with God. As we prepare for Christmas, her teaching on purity of conscience and purity of intention reminds us how Christ desires to be born spiritually in our souls. “If we wish to induce the Incarnate God to be born spiritually in our souls, we must secure purity of conscience for ourselves.” 📅 Feast Day: December 16 🕊️ Died: December 16, 1717 📍 Relics: Carmelite Monastery of St. Joseph, Moncalieri (near Turin) St. Mary of the Angels, pray for us. 00:00 – Introduction & Carmelite Feast Day 00:28 – Early Life of Maria Fontanella 01:04 – Relation to St. Aloysius Gonzaga 01:21 – Death of Her Father & Entry into Carmel 01:52 – Early Trials, Homesickness & Perseverance 02:19 – Spiritual Desolation & Diabolical Attacks 02:41 – Extreme Penances & Carmelite Life 03:13 – Novice Mistress & Prioress 03:26 – Devotion to St. Joseph & Protection of Turin 03:54 – Spiritual Director & Counsel to the King 04:30 – Odor of Sanctity During Her Lifetime 05:10 – Relics & Continued Fragrance 05:29 – Her Humility & Desire to Be Hidden 05:40 – Death on December 16, 1717 06:03 – True Source of Her Sanctity 06:56 – Interior vs. Exterior Holiness 07:14 – Purity of Intention Explained 08:37 – Her Christmas Meditation on Purity 09:43 – Prayer & Closing Blessing Please say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StMaryOfTheAngels #CarmeliteSaint #CatholicSaints #OdorOfSanctity #ContemplativePrayer #CatholicSpirituality #AdventReflection #

Topics

• Holiness
• Purity
• Spiritual Warfare