St. Catherine of Siena
On The Grapevine 08
Born in 1347, St. Catherine of Siena was one of the youngest of 25 children. At the age of 7, she made a secret vow to give her whole life to God. As she got older, her parents began to talk of finding a husband, and her mother encouraged her to try to improve her appearance toward that end. Her crowning glory was her long golden brown hair. . . which she cheerfully and stubbornly cut off when her parents continued to talk of finding her a suitor.
St. Catherine entered the Dominican Third order at age 18. She worked tirelessly taking care of the dying and those stricken by the plague. She would eventually influence many through her fearless, warm and often mystically beautiful letters and persistence. She helped lead a crusade, convinced Pope Gregory XI that it was time to return from Avignon to Rome, and died while trying to heal the Great Western Schism. She offered herself as a victim for the Church in its agony and received the stigmata, which only appeared visibly after her death. She died at the age of 33 and is a Doctor of the Church.
You can read more about her HERE.
-Meagan
St. Catherine entered the Dominican Third order at age 18. She worked tirelessly taking care of the dying and those stricken by the plague. She would eventually influence many through her fearless, warm and often mystically beautiful letters and persistence. She helped lead a crusade, convinced Pope Gregory XI that it was time to return from Avignon to Rome, and died while trying to heal the Great Western Schism. She offered herself as a victim for the Church in its agony and received the stigmata, which only appeared visibly after her death. She died at the age of 33 and is a Doctor of the Church.
You can read more about her HERE.
-Meagan