Margaret of the Mother of God

Margaret of the Mother of God (Dutch: Margriet van de Moeder Gods, French: Marguerite de la Mère de Dieu, Latin: Magarita a Matre Dei), born Margriet van Noort (1587 – 1646), was a Dutch Discalced Carmelite lay sister in the Brussels Carmel.

Margriet van Noort was born in Farmsum, in the far north of the Low Countries, in 1587. Her parents were Sebastian van Noort, an officer in the Army of Flanders, and Gertruda Bernaerts. On 8 December 1607 Margaret was admitted to the Brussels Carmel by the foundress of the convent, the Venerable Ana de Jesús, making her profession as a lay sister in 1609 and taking the name Margaret of the Mother of God. She died there in 1646, aged 59, having been a Carmelite lay sister for 37 years.

She was reputed to have gifts of prophecy and wonder-working, and recorded her spiritual experiences in an autobiography and collection of spiritual reflections. An English translation of her writings was published in 2015 under the title Spiritual Writings of Sister Margaret of the Mother of God (1635-1643).