Catherine of Siena

Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine of Siena. Detail of a work by Domenico Beccafumi, c. 1515
Virgin and Doctor of Church
Born	1347-03-25 in Siena, Italy
Died	1380-04-29 in Rome, Italy
Venerated in	Roman Catholicism, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Canonized	1461 by Pope Pius II
Feast	April 29
Attributes	Dominican habit, lily, book, crucifix, heart, crown of thorns, stigmata, ring, dove
Patronage	against fire, bodily ills, diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA, Europe, firefighters, illness, Italy, miscarriages, nurses, people ridiculed for their piety, sexual temptation, sick people, sickness, Siena Italy, television

Saint Catherine of Siena (March 25, 1347 - April 29, 1380) was a Dominican Tertiary (lay affiliate) of the Dominican Order. She experienced a 'Mystical Marriage' with Jesus around 1366 after which she began to attend the poor. She had visions which caused her to leave a secluded life and serve in the world. She wrote many letters to popes and men and women of influence for peace between the republics, for reforms of the clergy and the papal states, and for the return of the pope to Rome from Avignon. Pope Urban VI summoned her to Rome where she lived until her death in 1380.

Biography

Catherine Benincasa was born in 1347, just four years after Julian of Norwich. She was the 23rd child out of 25 (her twin sister, the 24th, died at birth); her parents were Giacomo di Benincasa, a cloth-dyer, and his wife, Lapa Piagenti, daughter of a local poet. Their large, three storied home was situated next to the dyeworks.

A native of Siena, Catherine received no formal education. At the age of six she had a vision of Christ wearing the papal tiara, at seven she consecrated her virginity to Christ despite her family's opposition; in her eighteenth year she took the habit of the Dominican Tertiaries. The church and cloister of Saint Dominic were up the hill from her family home. Her brother-in-laws brother who lived at the house joined the Dominicans when she was very young. He, Tomaso della Fonte, became her first confessor. Wars raged everywhere, between nations, city states even within the papacy itself, followed by the plague. These were extreme times requiring extreme devotion to God in order to survive.

Her frustrated parents tried to marry her against her wishes, to which she cut off all her hair which led her parents to make her the servant of the house responsible for all the chores. She was showered with insults and humiliation. She fell into ecstasy while turning the spit and rolled in the ashes yet revived unharmed. But she rejoiced at being able to serve her family.

Again frustrated with her unwillingness to accept marriage, they did not allow her a refuge for prayer. She turned inward and created her own sanctuary in her mind, "a secret cell...an inner cell which no one could take away from her" (Life 43). More and more she felt the protective covering of Christ, "clothed in Christ's flesh." This 'covering' kept her warm even in winter.

She even allowed herself to be scalded at the baths when she slipped away from her mother. The battle ended when her father, upon entering her room, saw a white dove above Catherine while she prayed. He realized her commission was sincere and allowed her to have her own room and the freedom to offer alms to the poor, much to the chagrin of her siblings who locked their doors to avoid the loss of their valuables. He forbade anyone to interfere with her vocation.

Ascetic tradition

She chose to become a tertiary, a member of the Sisters of Penance, mostly widows, who lived in their own homes. Catherine caught chicken pox which left welcomed scars on her face, allowing her beauty to no longer inspire the idea of marriage in others, and lived at her own home rather than in a convent. She practiced acts of single-minded mortification, wearing a tight metal chain around her waist and carried on vigils and fasting. Her zealous use of "the discipline", a leather thong used in the monastic tradition, caused much pain. This intense practice, a prioress would probably not have permitted. She is especially famous for fasting by living for long periods of time on nothing but the Blessed Sacrament.

Mystical visions

In about 1366, Catherine experienced what she described in her letters as a 'Mystical Marriage' with Jesus, after which she began to tend the sick and serve the poor. She writes that she received an invisible betrothal ring from Jesus, which is the gift of seeing into souls. In 1370 she received a series of visions of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, after which she heard a command to leave her withdrawn life and enter the public life of the world.

She received many men and women seeking her advice. She became the counselor and spiritual teacher to those who suffered. Miracles and exorcisms were attributed to her interventions.

“

Prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus Precious Blood, Ocean of Divine Mercy: Flow upon us! Precious Blood, Most pure Offering: Procure us every Grace! Precious Blood, Hope and Refuge of sinners: Atone for us! Precious Blood, Delight of holy souls: Draw us! Amen.

”

Catherine's contemporaries did not consider her behavior neurotic, in fact, they believed completely in the noncorporeal world and supernatural occurrences. Many sought, and some found, the inner promptings of God which led many to the religious life.

Service and political peace efforts

She began to write letters to men and women in authority, especially begging for peace between the republics and principalities of Italy and for the return of the papacy from Avignon to Rome. She carried on a long correspondence with Pope Gregory XI, also asking him to reform the clergy and the administration of the Papal States. In her letters to the Pope, she often referred to him affectionately as "Papa" or "Daddy" ("Babbo" in Italian).

In June of 1376 Catherine went to Avignon herself as ambassador of Florence to make peace between the Papal States, but was unsuccessful. She impressed the Pope so much, however, that he returned his administration to Rome in January of 1377. During the Western Schism of 1378 she was an adherent of Pope Urban VI, who summoned her to Rome where she lived until her death in 1380.

Writings

Her Dialogue, which she wrote near the end of her life, is rich and complex in its expression. For this an others reasons, she was declared a "Doctor of the Church."

Legacy

File:Statue of Catherine of siena (benincasa).jpg

Statue of Catherine of Siena, just outside Siena, Italy.

Catherine's letters are considered one of the great works of early Tuscan literature. More than 300 letters have survived. Her major work is the Dialogue of Divine Providence.

Pope Pius II canonized Catherine in 1461. Her feast day is April 29 in the new Roman calendar and April 30 in the traditional Roman calendar. Pope Paul VI bestowed on her in 1970 the title of Doctor of the Church - making her the first woman, along with Saint Teresa of Ávila, ever to receive this honor. In 1999 Pope John Paul II made her one of Europe's patron saints. Saint Catherine is also the patroness of the historically Catholic American sorority, Theta Phi Alpha.

Catherine's body is currently interred in Rome, in the basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva near the Pantheon. Her head and right thumb are in Siena, and her foot in Venice. St.Catherine is the patron saint of fire prevention and of Italy. She is a doctor of the church because she challenged great people like the pope men (which was an achievment at the time) and many people with high authority

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Cavallini, Giuliana. Catherine of Siena. Outstanding Christian thinkers. London: Geoffrey Chapman 1998. ISBN 9780225667677
• Catherine, and Suzanne Noffke. The Letters of St. Catherine of Siena, Binghamton, N.Y.: Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, State University of New York at Binghamton 1988. ISBN 9780866980364
• Curtayne, Alice. Saint Catherine of Siena, Rockford Il.: Tan Books and Publ., 1929/1980. ASIN B0006XVUPK
• Flinders, Carol Lee. Enduring Grace: Living Portraits of Seven Women Mystics, HarperCollins, 1993. ISBN 0062502840
• Jorgensen, Johannes, Ingeborg Lund, trans. Saint Catherine of Siena, London: Longmans, Green, 1939. ASIN B0006AO9F6
• Luongo, F. Thomas. The Saintly Politics of Catherine of Siena, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press 2006. ISBN 9780801443954
• Nofke, Suzanne, O.P., trans. and Giuliana Cavallini. Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue, N.Y.: Paulist Press, 1980. ISBN 978-0809122332
• Raymond of Capua, George Lamb, trans. The Life of St. Catherine of Siena, Chicago, Il.: P. J. Kenedy & Sons, 2003. ISBN 978-0895557612

External Links

Retrieved July 7, 2007.

• Works by Catherine of Siena. Project Gutenberg www.gutenberg.org
• "St. Catherine of Siena" www.newadvent.org
• Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin www.ewtn.com
• Letters of Catherine from Gutenberg www.gutenberg.org
• St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Springfield, Massachusetts. www.scsparish.4lpi.com
• St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Great Falls, Virginia. st-catherines.net
• St. Catherine of Siena Church in Reseda, California. www.catherineofsiena.org
• Saint Catherine of Siena www.intratext.com
• Drawn by Love. The Mysticism of Catherine of Siena www.drawnbylove.com

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Catherine of Siena  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Catherine of Siena"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.