Catherine of Siena

There are many moments in salvation history where God manifests his incredible power. For example, the Virgin Mary proclaimed God’s power with joy in the Magnificat when she said: "God has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly"(Lk 1:52 NAB). Another example would be Catherine of Siena who “was born, then, probably in 1347 AD., the twenty-third of twenty-five children of a fairly prosperous Sienese dyer, Jacopo Benincasa, and his wife, Lapa.”[1] Being part of such a large family, the small girl grew up with a cheerful and playful personality. One day, at the age of five or six years old, she was walking with her sister down the street when she had an amazing vision: Jesus sitting on his throne accompanied by Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and Saint John. After having experienced this vision, Catherine’s life changed completely. She became a young woman of intense prayer, profound wisdom, and spiritual maturity. This drastic change surprised all her relatives who were surprised by the girl's sudden transformation despite her young age.

Catharine's mother was an energetic and obedient woman who took great care of the little girl. She used to say: "This is only a phase, this is only a phase," implying that the girl would go back to her normal way of behaving. As Catherine was growing up and interacting in society, her mother wanted to see her as a married woman with a big family. However, Catherine told her mother that she would never marry because “Christ himself placed a ring on her finger and said: I espouse you in faith.”[2] As a result, Catherine's mother began to treat her worse than a slave by having her perform the most demanding and laborious housework. Moreover, Catherine was taken out of her room and sent to sleep in a less pleasant place. Nevertheless, to everyone's surprise, she was not afraid and it seemed as if she liked her new life of sacrifice.

Mr. Giacomo Benincasa, who until then had not intervened in the situation between his wife and youngest daughter, gave the final order: "Let no one disturb my girl Catherine. She is the one who has to make the decision about her future. If she wants to serve Jesus Christ then nobody is going to stop her."[3] When Catherine turned 18 years old, she became a member of the third order of Saint Dominic. This order allowed a lay person to wear a religious habit while still living at home. Although she had no formal education, her deeds of charity toward the needy made this holy woman a great example for many people. Even though she did not want to be recognized or draw attention to herself, many people soon realized her holiness.

“Between 1305 and 1378 all the popes were French-men, governing the Church from Avignon in Provence from 1309 to ’67 and again from 1370 to ’77.”[4] This long absence of the popes from Rome naturally affected the Church by creating a great tribulation. During the Western Schism, there were three popes in the Church at one time without certainty as to whose pontificate was legitimate. One day, Catherine received from heaven the order to fight for the unity of the Church. With assistance from a group of lay persons and clergy, Catherine sent letters full of wisdom to kings, nobles, cardinals, and the Pope himself who tenderly she used to call "the sweet Christ on earth." She asked the Holy Father with recklessness and much boldness to go back to Rome to shepherd the Church of God because he was living in a French city at the time. Thus, Catherine was able to convince the Pope to return to St. Peter’s Basilica despite the obstacles that the King of France was putting on him. The prayers and sacrifices of the young "bride of Christ" allowed her to be an instrument of these divine messages.

She was a witness of great mystical revelations and even received the gift to write without anyone to teach her. Her good deeds were of incalculable spiritual value, which is the reason she is the second woman in history to be recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Nowadays, both sinners and righteous individuals surrender to her calm and impressive presence. Furthermore, the Church canonized several of her disciples who had served the Church in important ways. Finally, while helping the Pope in Rome to achieve the desired unity, she died on April 29, 1380 at the age of 33 offering her life for the Church. She was canonized by Pope Pius II in 1461 and her feast is celebrated on April 29. “On 4 October 1970 Paul VI declared St Catherine a Doctor Ecclesiae, thus giving her a place among the Church’s major theologians.”[5]  Her incorrupt head was separated from her body, and it is venerated in the Basilica of Saint Domenico, Siena.

[1] Williams Collins, I, Catherine Selected Writings of Catherine of Siena (St. James’s Place, London 1980), 12.

[2] Jacob Phillips, “Catherine of Siena: A Passionate Life,” The Heythop Journal

54, no. 3: 475-476. (2013) 475.

[3] Alban Butler, Butler's Lives of the Saints, Ed. by Herbert J. Thurston & Donald Attwater, Vol. II, Apr – Jul, (Christian Classics, 1988), 400.

[4] Collins, I, Catherine Selected Writings of Catherine of Siena, 12.

[5] Collins, I, Catherine Selected Writings of Catherine of Siena, 28.

Bibliography

Collins, Williams, I, Catherine Selected Writings of Catherine of Siena, St. James’s    

Place, London 1980.

Butler, Alban. Butler's Lives of the Saints, Ed. by Herbert J. Thurston & Donald Attwater, Vol. 1, Jan – Mar. Christian Classics, 1988.

Phillips, Jacob “Catherine of Siena: A Passionate Life,” The Heythop Journal

54, no. 3: 475-476. 2013.