ST.

CATHERINE OF SIENA
 Original name is Caterina Benincasa.
 Born in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy; on March 25, 1347.
 Died in Rome, Italy; on April 29, 1380. At the age of 33.
 St. Catherine was the twenty-fifth child of her family.
 Raised healthily by her mother, while her twin sister died.
 Her mother is Lapa Piagenti and her father is Giacomo di Benincasa.
 From a very young age, Catherine began to see angels as clearly as she saw people.
 At the age of 6 or 7, she had a vision of Jesus seated in glory with the Apostles Peter, Paul,
and John.
 She had a vision of St. Dominic and decided to join the Third Order of St. Dominic (At the
age of 15).
 Saint Catherine of Siena was known for persuading corrupt clergy to turn back to Christ.
 Saint Catherine wrote letters to people who lived a life of sin.
 She encouraged Pope Gregory to bring the papacy back to Rome from France.
 St. Catherine received the Stigmata from a wooden cross in the Church of Santa Cristina.
 St. Catherine is the patron saint of Italy, sick people, and those who are attacked for the sake
of piety

 In 1461 Pope Pius proclaimed her a saint

 In 1806 Pope Pius IX included her as one of the patron saints of Rome
 In 1970 Pope Paul VI titled her as Doctor of the Church
 In 1999 Pope John Paul II proclaimed Saint Catherine co-patron saint of Europe

EARLY LIFE
 St. Catherine of Siena was born on March 25, 1347, in Siena, Italy. She was the 25th child
born to from her mother half of her brothers and sisters did not survive their childhood. Her
Parents were Lapa Piagenti her mother and her father Giacomo di Benincasa. St. Catherine of
Siena was born during the outbreak of the plague. As a young girl she would take care of her
mom and would help other young women in her city.

LIFE CONTINUED
 St. Catherine at a young age saw an image of St. Dominic which compelled her to join the
Dominican order. As a member she would continue to aid the poor, and the sick and would
give food and clothing to the needy without asking for the permission of her superiors.
 Catherine would soon find herself fixated with addressing and intervening in the political
disputes that afflicted her home city. This would cause her to get into Italian and church
politics.

LETTER TO THE POPE

 Around 1375, Catherine began writing to Pope Gregory XI imploring him to wade into
political problems in Italy and to return the Papacy to Rome from its then current base in
Avignon France. Initially she was unsuccessful, and she was scorned by her Florentine
colleagues.
 However, she was ultimately successful as Pope Gregory returned his papal court to Rome in
January 1377. Thus, ending the era of French Popes which spanned for 67 years,

LATER LIFE
 The return of the Papacy caused a schism in the Church with factions supporting a pope in
Rome, and other one in Avignon. Catherine was received by Pope Urban VI and she
attempted to persuade those in the Italian nobility to accept him as the legitimate Pope.
 Catherine's adherence to fasting took a toll on her health and she quickly began to deteriorate.
She suffered a massive stroke and died on April 29, 1380 at the age of 33.

CANONIZATION AND FEAST DAY

 Catherine was buried in Rome after her death, but her head was separated from her body and
was placed inside a reliquary. Immediately people began to claim of miracles associated to
interceding to Catherine. Also, her head was deemed to incorruptible or free from earthly
decomposition. Due to these factors, Pope Pius canonized Catherine on June 29, 1461, in her
hometown of Sienna.
 In 1866 she became the patron saint of Italy alongside St Francis of Assisi. Catherine was also
confirmed as a Doctor of the Church in 1970, by Pope Paul IV.
 Feast Day: 29th of April
 Patronage: Fire prevention, bodily illnesses, sickness, miscarriages, Siena and Italy
 Miracles: Although Catherine died in Rome, Siena believed it was in their rights to have her body.
Unable to smuggle her entire body past the guards, they only took her head in a bag. When they were
caught by the guards, they prayed to St Catherine and all the guards were able to see was a bag of
rose petals. When they arrived back in Siena, her head reappeared and it now remains in the Church
of San Dominico.
 Symbols: St Catherine is represented through the Dominican nun's habit, the lily, a book, the stigmata
and the crown of thorns.

ST. CATHERINE’S WORK

Catherine most famous piece of work is The Dialogue of Divine Providence. She began this
around October 1377 and finished it in November 1378. Over 300 of her letters are still
surviving and close to one third of her letters are to women. 26 of Catherine's prayers still
remain, many of them were written in the last 18 months of her life.

In 1377 St Catherine founded the Monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in the castle of Belcaro.
She had spent most of 1377 reforming the country districts of Siena, her calling from Jesus to go
out and help those less fortunate was a act that she performed to her death bed. Her utter
dedication to the poor and sick made her realize the unfairness of the Christian church and the
government. This injustice caused Catherine to strive to stop the misbehavior of the Christian
Church. She clearly pointed out the mistakes and changes that the church needed to improve.
One of the changes that she influenced was the Pope's move back to Rome from Avignon.

Examples of her Work

The Dialogue of Divine Providence - This is the Dialogue of the Virgin St Catherine of Siena.
Dictated by her in a state of happiness and peace with God.
St Catherine's Prayers - 26 of her prayers remain, some of her prayers are:
- O Supreme Physician
- O Supreme and Ineffable God
- My Nature is Fire
- Prayer of Thanksgiving to the Trinity
- Prayer for the Church and Priests
- Precious Blood Prayer
St Catherine's Letters - She wrote many letters to the Pope and other people trying to persuade
them to listen to her opinion and change their ways.
To access some of her letters and find out who they were sent to refer to the website below:
http://www.drawnbylove.com/Scudder%20letters.htm

Faith
While praying at St. Peter's tomb Saint Catherine experienced the weight of the Church on her
shoulders, so she offered herself as a victim for the renewal of the Church.
Saint Catherine took an oath of Chasity at a young age
Hope
St. Catherine's parents were going to marry her so she doubled her prayers so she would not be
married.
She also displayed hope in order to bring back peace to the Italian city states
Charity
She gave away food and clothing from her family to the poor
She began to serve the poor, the sick and the ignorant and she prayed for the conversions of
sinners
Three ways to emulate Saint Catherine
When things get tough offer it up just like Saint Catherine
Visit a nursing home once a year
When a neighbor needs help, help them without being asked.