St. Catherine of Siena
1347 - 1380
In 1347, Catherine Benincasa was born into a world in
turmoil -- the plague, mercenary armies, warring cities, religious schism -- a time so
black that many believed it heralded the end of the world. She was the 24th
child of a prosperous merchant-class family.
From youth, Catherine treasured moments of solitude. As a
child, when her chores were done she would hurry to the nearby Dominican Church and spend
time in prayer, dreaming of the day when she would be old enough to wear the Dominican
habit although her parents wanted her to be married with a home and children. In spite of
their objections, Catherine was firm, insisting that she was betrothed to God and God
alone. Angered, they treated her as a servant, until one day her father saw a dove
hovering over Catherine's head while she prayed. Then her parents agreed to let her remain
unmarried.
Catherine lived in solitude in her room for three years. She
put on the habit of the Dominican Third Order. During that time, Catherine developed and
deepened her spiritual life based on the simple formula given to her by Christ Himself:
"Know daughter that I am He who is, and you are that which is not." She received
daily visitations from Christ. On Shrove Tuesday in 1367, Jesus appeared to her and placed
a ring on her finger, visible only to Catherine until her death when others could see the
mystic wedding band and the wounds of the stigmata.
When Catherine emerged from her three-year period of solitude,
she dedicated herself to service. She nursed the sick, ministered to prisoners,
distributed alms to the poor, and was peacemaker for feuding families. Catherine exercised
spiritual authority -- she was in union with God.
Catherine, though uneducated, was filled with wisdom. She was
tireless in her preaching of the truth and dictated hundreds of letters to the pope and to
monarchs counseling them on the performance of their duties. She also dictated the Dialogue
describing her conversations with Christ while in a state of ecstasy.
Catherine was a prophet to the Church. She demanded that the pope
in residence in Avignon return to Rome. She was uncompromising in her loyalty to the
authentic successor of Peter while the Church struggled with rival papacies. Catherine
continually prayed that she might atone for the sins of the Church that she loved.
Catherine was a wise and holy woman. She mediated the burning love
of God to the needs of her time. She was a mystic, a miracle worker, a tireless servant, a
witness to God's love, a counselor and advisor to the pope. Catherine was a daughter of
St. Dominic, true to the Dominican call to contemplate and to preach the truth. She died
on April 29, 1380 at the age of thirty-three. In 1970 she was named Doctor of the Church.
References:
Dorcy, Sister Mary Jean Saint Dominic's Family
Ellsberg, Robert All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for
Our Time
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