APRIL 29 - SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA
breski1
Caterina Benincasa
Catharine of Siena
Katharine of Siena
Memorial
29 April
30 April (Dominicans)
Profile
Youngest of 24 children; her father was a wool-dyer. At the age of seven she had a vision in which Jesus appeared with Peter, Paul, and John; Jesus blessed her, and she consecrated herself to Him. Her parents began making arranged marriages for her when she turned 12, but she refused to co-operate, became a Dominican tertiary at age 15, and spent her time working with the poor and sick, attracting others to work with her. Received a vision in which she was in a mystical marriage with Christ, and the Infant Christ presented her with a wedding ring. Some of her visions drove her to become more involved in public life. Counselor to and correspondent with Pope Gregory XI and Pope Urban VI. Stigmatist in 1375. Lived in Avignon, France in 1376, and then in Rome, Italy from 1378 until her death. Friend of Blessed Raymond of Capua who was also her confessor. Proclaimed Doctor of the Church on 4 October 1970.
Born
25 March 1347 at Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Died
29 April 1380 in Rome, Italy of a mysterious and painful illness that came on without notice, and was never properly diagnosed
buried in the Dominican church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome
first funerary monument erected in 1380 by Blessed Raymond of Capua
relics re-enshrined in 1430
relics re-enshrined at the high altar of the church in 1466
Canonized
July 1461 by Pope Pius II
Patronage
against bodily ills
against fire
against illness
against miscarriages
against sexual temptation
against sickness
against temptations
fire prevention
firefighters
nurses
nursing homes
nursing services
people ridiculed for their piety
sick people
Theta Phi Alpha sorority
—
Europe (proclaimed on 1 October 1999 by Pope John Paul II)
Italy (traditional, and proclaimed on 18 June 1939 by Pope Pius XII)

Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA, diocese of
Gamboma, Congo, diocese of
Macau, China, diocese of

in Italy
Rome
Siena
Varazze
Representation
cross
crown of thorns
heart
lily
ring
stigmata