St Catherine of Siena
Saint Catherine was born on March the 25th, 1347, in Siena, Italy. She was the 25th child born to her mother, however many of her siblings didn’t survive childhood. At the age of 16, Catherine’s twin sister died, leaving her husband a widower. Catherine’s parents asked her to take her sister’s place in the marriage but she opposed this, so much so that she began fasting and cut her hair short to mar her appearance. This was just the start of a life full of devotion to Jesus. This devotion led her to joining the Third Order of St Dominic, giving away her family’s food and clothing to people who needed them more and visiting those who were sick and poor. Eventually, she began to travel and called for reform in the Church. She became involved in politics and was instrumental in brokering peace deals during a time of conflict and war between Italian city states. She was also pivotal in persuading the papacy to return to Rome. Her ‘Dialogue’ consists of over 400 letters and were so influential that Pope Paul VI named her as one of the very few female Doctors of the Church. Saint Catherine was an incredible mystic, spiritual writer and reformer who passed away at the age of 33. St Catherine lived an intentional life, striving to do more and be more. When she saw a need, she acted on it, when she recognised injustice, she addressed it. Despite her short life, she had a huge impact on our church and the lives of countless people. One of her best known quotes are: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world ablaze.” Her life is a testament to this, as we hope our lives will be.
Saint Catherine was born on March the 25th, 1347, in Siena, Italy. She was the 25th child born to her mother, however many of her siblings didn’t survive childhood. At the age of 16, Catherine’s twin sister died, leaving her husband a widower. Catherine’s parents asked her to take her sister’s place in the marriage but she opposed this, so much so that she began fasting and cut her hair short to mar her appearance.
This was just the start of a life full of devotion to Jesus. This devotion led her to joining the Third Order of St Dominic, giving away her family’s food and clothing to people who needed them more and visiting those who were sick and poor. Eventually, she began to travel and called for reform in the Church. She became involved in politics and was instrumental in brokering peace deals during a time of conflict and war between Italian city states. She was also pivotal in persuading the papacy to return to Rome. Her ‘Dialogue’ consists of over 400 letters and were so influential that Pope Paul VI named her as one of the very few female Doctors of the Church.
Saint Catherine was an incredible mystic, spiritual writer and reformer who passed away at the age of 33. St Catherine lived an intentional life, striving to do more and be more. When she saw a need, she acted on it, when she recognised injustice, she addressed it. Despite her short life, she had a huge impact on our church and the lives of countless people. One of her best known quotes are: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world ablaze.” Her life is a testament to this, as we hope our lives will be.