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. Catherine 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.
A native of Siena, Catherine received no formal education. At the age of seven she consecrated her virginity to Christ despite her family's opposition; in her eighteenth year she took the habit of the Dominican Tertiaries. As a tertiary, Catherine lived at home rather than in a convent, and she practiced acts of mortification there which 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.
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. In 1370 she received a series of visions of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, after which she heard a command to leave her withdrawn life and enter the public life of the world.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 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 June of 1376 Catherine went to Avignon herself as ambassador of Florence to make peace with 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.
Legacy
Catherine's letters are considered one of the great works of early Tuscan literature. More than 300 letters have survived. In her letters to the Pope, she often referred to him affectionately as "Papa" or "Daddy" ("Babbo" in Italian). 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
ReferencesISBN 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
- Luongo, F. Thomas. The saintly politics of Catherine of Siena. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press 2006. ISBN 9780801443954
External Links
- Works by Catherine of Siena. Project Gutenberg Retrieved July 7, 2007.
- "St. Catherine of Siena" Retrieved July 7, 2007.
- Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin Retrieved July 7, 2007.
- Letters of Catherine from Gutenberg Retrieved July 7, 2007.
- St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Springfield, Massachusetts Retrieved July 7, 2007.
- St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Great Falls, Virginia Retrieved July 7, 2007.
- St. Catherine of Siena Church in Reseda, California Retrieved July 7, 2007.
- Saint Catherine of Siena Retrieved July 7, 2007.
- Drawn by Love. The Mysticism of Catherine of Siena Retrieved July 7, 2007.
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