A hope for mom’s of many -The Feast of Catherine of Sienna

Father Lawrence Lew, via Flickr licensed cc

Saint Catherine should give mothers with large families, or moms contemplating the pros and cons of having another baby, some encouragement and hope. St. Catherine was the 23rd or 24th child born into her family. She went on to become one of the most respected women in the church and of the middle ages! What a loss to the world it would have been if her parents opted not to have her.

Catherine was born in 1347, in Siena, Italy with a twin sister. Her family was not well off, and Catherine’s twin died. Catherine did not receive much of an education and only became literate as an adult. The bubonic plague was ravaging Italy during her childhood.

Catherine was blessed with a devout nature and had a great vision of Jesus when she was only six years old. Because of her vision, Catherine prayed fervently. At seven she vowed never to marry and at age 12 she cut her hair very short. her parents longed for her to marry, perhaps even up in her class, but at the age of 16, she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic as a laywoman.

Catherine had a gift for organization and wisdom. She could handle a large household of followers, comfort the sick, and give wise counsel. Her reputation grew as she was able to share the gospel and lead people to repentance.

She encouraged the clergy to live simply and she practiced what she preached. She was known to keep those in her charge well fed while she herself spent most days fasting.

Because of her growing influence and reputation, she eventually addressed civil and church matters. She caused princes to reconcile and turned Italy away from the anti-pope. Perhaps she is best known for traveling to Avignon to persuade Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome.

Catherine was only 33 when she died, in Rome, but she was able to accomplish much.

One of her most well-known works is Dialogue, a conversation between God and St. Catherine consisting of 400 letters on topics of love, obedience and service.

She became a saint in 1461, and was later made a Doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI  who said her Dialogue was a masterpiece in spiritual literature. Catherine is also made a patron of Europe in 1999.

Famous Quotes of St. Catherine of Siena

“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”

― St. Catherine of Siena

“that the endurance of suffering alone, without desire, was not sufficient to punish a fault.”

― Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena