Catherine of Siena

Who they were

Catherine Benincasa was born on 25 March 1347 in the Fontebranda quarter of Siena, the twenty-fourth of twenty-five children of the dyer Jacopo. At six she saw Jesus robed as Pope; at seven she vowed virginity. When her parents wanted her married she cut off her hair and shut herself away, and in 1363 they let her join the Dominican tertiaries, the Mantellate. In 1367 she received in vision what her biographers call her mystical espousal to Christ.

She learned to read and write, served the poor and sick through plague and war, and gathered a circle of disciples who called her 'mother and teacher'. Through a torrent of letters to rulers and churchmen she worked for peace in Italy, the reform of the Church and the Pope's return to Rome from Avignon, always revering the Pope as 'sweet Christ on earth' while rebuking him. In 1375 she received the stigmata, invisible to others. Called to Rome by Urban VI after the Western Schism began, she fell ill and died there on 29 April 1380, aged 33.

The miracles

Paul VI proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She is patron of Italy and of Europe. She left the Dialogue of Divine Providence, her letters and her prayers.

Why that counted as sanctity

Catherine lived Paul's words 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me'. An unlettered girl who became a Doctor of the Church, she loved the Church enough to tell popes the truth, and taught that man is made for love: 'If you are what you ought to be, you will set all Italy on fire.'

Connected on this site

• Stefano Maconi Blessed Pupil
  “Stefano Maconi was one of the secretaries of Saint Catherine of Siena, and at her wish he entered the Charterhouse of Pontignano in 1381, becoming its prior from 1383 to 1389; under her mystical influence he worked to reform the Carthusian order, later serving as its prior general from 1389 to 1410.” — this site's research
• Bridget of Sweden Saint
  “Bridget is one of the six patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia, Cyril and Methodius, Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.” — Wikipedia
• Francis of Assisi Saint
  “Pope Pius II canonised her in 1461; she was declared a patron saint of Rome in 1866 by Pope Pius IX, and of Italy (together with Francis of Assisi) in 1939 by Pope Pius XII.” — Wikipedia
• Giovanni dalle Celle Saint
  “His most notable exchange was with Saint Catherine of Siena, who asked his help in persuading the Pope to leave Avignon and return to Rome, and whom he defended vigorously when a friar accused her of heresy; critics praise his letters for their vigorous style, clarity of judgement and strong religious feeling.” — this site's research
• John Paul II Saint
  “In 1999 Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a patron saint of Europe.” — Wikipedia
• Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena Montoya Saint
  “Laura Montoya, in full María Laura de Jesús Montoya Upegui (26 May 1874 – 21 October 1949), religious name Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena, was a Colombian Roman Catholic religious sister and the founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and Saint Catherine of Siena (1914).” — Wikipedia
• Paul VI Saint
  “Paul VI proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church in 1970.” — this site's research
• Rose of Lima Saint
  “At twenty she took the habit of the Dominican Third Order, like her model St Catherine of Siena, and lived as a 'virgin in the world' in a tiny cell in the garden, praying and doing penance.” — this site's research
• Teresa of Ávila Saint
  “She was the second woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church, on 4 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI – only days after Teresa of Ávila.” — Wikipedia
• Ana de los Angeles Monteagudo Blessed
  “Monteagudo studied under nuns in her childhood and decided to become one following a vision she had of Catherine of Siena showing her the Dominican habit.” — Wikipedia
• Camilla Bartolini Rucellai Blessed
  “He died soon after, and Cammilla, now Sister Lucia, remained with the Dominican tertiaries, helping found a new convent dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena, which she later led as prioress, praying with such fervour that the convent was said to appear crowned with flames.” — this site's research
• Chiara Gambacorti Blessed
  “At Pisa, Blessed Chiara Gambacorti, who, left a widow while still young, at the urging of Saint Catherine of Siena founded here the first Dominican monastery of strict observance and, having forgiven the murderers of her father and her brothers, governed her sisters with prudence and charity.” — this site's research