St. Catherine of Siena.

She is heralded as one of the most remarkable women in the history of the Church, indeed as one who changed the course of European history. Her influence on Europe extends even to contemporary times: sixty years ago Pope Pius XII proclaimed her a co-patron of Italy alongside St. Francis of Assisi. She was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970. At the Synod of European Bishops in October, 1999, she made headlines once again: Pope John Paul II inaugurated the Synod by proclaiming St. Catherine of Siena a co-patroness of Europe, with St. Edith Stein and St. Bridgit of Sweden. In doing so, he stated in his proclamation that he wanted to clearly acknowledge the "dignity and singular gifts of women." In a homily a few days later at St. Catherine of Siena parish in Rome, he urged the women of the community to "look in particular to Catherine of Siena: may her characteristic female genius, which made her fearless and courageous, spur you to be strong, constructive and creative in your love for God and in caring for others."

Origins

Catherine was born in Siena, Italy, on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 1347. She was the youngest of 25 children, born into the bustling household of prosperous wool dyer Jacopo Benincasa and his wife Lapa. Even in childhood, Catherine gave hints of her future glory: she was such an outgoing and happy child that she was nicknamed "Euphrosyne", the Greek word for joy. Even as a youngster, however, Catherine was also known for her piety and prayer life. Her first mystical experience occurred at the age of six while she was walking with her brother: she beheld a vision of Christ dressed in papal attire, with Saints Peter, Paul and John at His side. Shortly after this event she made a vow of virginity, dedicating her whole life to Christ. Her mother and all the neighbours marvelled at the piety of this young child.

This admiration was not to last however; as she approached her twelfth year, her mother began to search for an eligible husband for her much-loved but unconventional daughter. The custom of marriage at such a young age was not uncommon in the Italy of the fourteenth century. With this all-encompassing goal in mind, Catherine was promptly shipped off to her married sister Bonaventure to learn the coquettish art of make-up and hair styling. Catherine began to intuitively realize, however, that such behaviour betrayed her vow of consecration to her beloved Christ. The mother pushed harder. Catherine, a force to be reckoned with at any age, rebelled. Bitter strife rose between mother and daughter as Catherine expressed her secret heart's desire: she wanted to become a "Mantellate" (a Third Order Dominican). "A Mantellate!" shrieked her mother. Mona Lapa (not the gentlest of souls) was furious! "Never! Never!" Her mother was horrified.

To pressure her daughter to give in to her demands, Mona Lapa invited her nephew Tommaso, a Dominican priest, to guide her daughter in the "right" direction. The very opposite occurred: the priest was so convinced of the spiritual depth and wisdom of the young girl that he became her advocate instead. He offhandedly suggested that she demonstrate the sincerity of her intentions by cutting off her beautiful golden hair, an act commonly required by sisters as they entered the convent. This Catherine did without hesitation! Fearing her mother's hot temper, however, she covered her short hair with a veil. Mona Lapa was most suspicious of this new development. She insisted on an explanation. Catherine remained silent. Angrily, with great fury, Mona Lapa whipped off the veil! She was stunned and horrified! Blood-curdling screams resounded throughout the whole neighbourhood! Everyone came running. They thought a murder had taken place!

Punishments

Mona Lapa was so outraged at the boldness of this headstrong daughter that she took revenge on her. As punishment she dismissed the family's servants and insisted that Catherine perform these menial tasks for the whole family. To everyone's astonishment, Catherine performed these burdensome tasks with much cheerfulness and efficiency. Further torment was added to Catherine's trials at this time: knowing that she craved solitude more than anything for her life of prayer, the family not only deprived her of her private bedroom, but made sure that she was never left alone. It was during this time of trial that Catherine began the practice whereby she would create an "oratory in her soul," a state in which she could experience interiorly the Peace and Presence of Christ, oblivious to her external circumstances and occupations. She revealed later in her book Dialogue that it was the Lord Himself who had taught her how to create this "interior cell" within her soul.

Eventually, Catherine's father Jacopo, a peaceful and pious man, took pity on his beloved youngest daughter and defended her decision to choose Christ rather than an earthly spouse for her bridegroom. Apparently this decision was made when he saw a white dove hovering above Catherine's head as she was praying. He provided a private room for her where she could pray as much as she wanted. For the next three years she rigorously fasted, did penance and deprived herself of sleep on a regular basis. She was also permitted to wear the habit of a Dominican tertiary, a rarely granted privilege, permitted only to those who were widows and matrons, never to someone as young as Catherine!

Mystical appearances

Catherine had many mystical experiences during this time. Not all of these were pleasant ones: on one occasion her cell became filled with sordid diabolical entities, causing her dreadful agonies both of a spiritual and a physical nature. She felt deserted by her "Spouse" and complained to Him: "My beloved Lord, where were you when my heart was filled with such terrible bitterness?" At this juncture Christ appeared to her and said, "I was in your heart. It was my presence which caused the sorrow and bitterness which I know you felt when the devils raged around you. And My Grace guarded your heart so that you did not give in to the temptations of the demons." During these three years she spoke only to her confessor and rarely ventured outside except to attend Mass at the neighbouring church of St. Dominic.

On Shrove Tuesday, 1366, an appearance of Jesus would change her life for evermore. It happened as she was praying ardently and scourging herself in her room in the midst of Siena's frenzied carnival revelry and celebrations. As she was begging forgiveness for the revelers' sins, Jesus appeared accompanied by His mother, St. John, St. Paul, and the psalmist David. He was pleased with her intercession for sinners. "For my sake", he said, "you have thrown away the vanity of the world, you have regarded the lusts of the senses as nothing and chosen Me as the only Joy of your heart. Therefore now, while all the others here in your house feast and enjoy themselves with good food and drink, I will celebrate the solemn marriage feast with your soul. I shall betroth you to Myself as I have promised." During these words, Mary took Catherine's hand and presented it to Christ Who placed a ring on her finger (visible to Catherine but to no one else). After her death the marks of this "wedding band" were clearly visible o n her body!

Jesus now directed Catherine to leave her life of solitude for "the good of souls". "Go in peace. In this way you shall serve Me and become more perfectly united to Me through love of Me and your neighbour and thus you will be able to rise even more quickly to Heaven as though on wings." He reminded her :"Do you remember how the desire to bring souls to salvation burned in you while you were still a little child?" She most certainly did remember.

Catherine never lost her zeal for souls. But she was skeptical when first approached by Him. She wondered aloud how she could be of any help to anyone! "How can I be of any use in the work of saving souls, I who am merely your poor servant girl?" Christ replied: "All things are possible for God Who has created everything from nothing. I know that you say this from humility, but you must know that in these days pride has grown monstrously among men, and chiefly among those who are learned and think they understand everything. It was for this reason that at another period I sent out simple men who had no human learning but were filled by Me with divine wisdom, and let them preach".

Entering the active life

At Christ's urging she left her solitude and at the age of 21 began the life of an active Dominican tertiary in her native Siena, serving the poor, the sick and those afflicted with the most loathsome of diseases. She also worked tirelessly for the conversion of sinners. Catherine was to be the perfect model of the union of the contemplative and the active apostolate.

Soon after her return to public life in Siena, there began to gather around her a group of spiritual disciples (known as the "Caterinate"), attracted by her extraordinary personal charm and her spiritual authority and wisdom. Furthermore, miracles seemed to abound in her presence! Some of these followers were young Dominican priests, others were the "Mantellate" (Dominican tertiaries), her sister-in-law Lisa, and many converted sinners. Among this group a wonderful spiritual friendship developed. So contagious was Catherine's holiness that many more were to follow: converts, students, humble but leading members of society, scholarly priests from the university and so on, all recognizing her as their spiritual leader. Here she was, a young woman of 24, formally unschooled and yet these scholarly men called her "mama" and accepted her as their spiritual leader.

They would gather in the cell of her home (later in the catacombs of La Scala hospital) to pray and listen to her "teachings" and accept her spiritual direction. Some of these eventually became her travelling companions and scribes, who would write Catherine's dictations while she was in ecstasy. The scholarly Dominican priest St. Raymond of Capua was sent to be her confessor, but considered himself her spiritual son. He later became Master General of the Dominican Order. Their relationship had its humorous moments: Catherine was known to talk on and on at great lengths and it was not uncommon for Fr. Raymond to fall asleep during some of these sessions. Catherine was none too pleased with this turn of events and once yelled at him in exasperation: "Have I been talking to the wall or to you?"

Spiritual wisdom

Catherine's reputation for holiness and spiritual wisdom began to spread far and wide, far beyond the confines of Siena. Many came to her, seeking spiritual consolation and advice. Some even sought healing and cures. Many, on the other hand, were skeptical of her reputation, particularly proud and learned theologians. Some came to expose her as fraudulent but ended up as her disciples. One of these was a Franciscan scholar who was living a sumptuous and worldly life. Unbeknownst to him, Catherine had the mystical ability to read hearts and to know the state of souls. After he finished his "trick" questions Catherine lashed out at him: "How can you begin to understand anything which pertains to the kingdom of God? You who live only for the world and seek to be honoured by men! Your great learning is no help to you or to others. It only harms you because you seek the shell and not the core!" She then looked directly at the brother and questioned him: "How can you, a son of St. Francis, dare to live the way you do? For the sake of Jesus Christ crucified, do not live this way any longer!" Stupified, he stood stock still in utter silence. Falling on his knees before her, he begged forgiveness for his arrogance! He promptly gave away all that he owned to the poor and led a changed life from then on. He had become "Be-Catherined" and became one of her most ardent followers for the remainder of her life. Such was Catherine's effect on people.

The mystical phenomena surrounding her were not limited to reading souls. She received "infused knowledge" from Christ Himself during ecstatic states, she was known to levitate, and she received many visions from Christ and the saints. She received the stigmata on her hands, feet and heart and although these were invisible to others they remained visible to her. At the moment of her death, the stigmata became visible to all. In one instance, while Jesus appeared to her He took away her own heart and replaced it with His own.

The central focus of her life was the Eucharist and, for many years, it was her only food, both spiritually and physically. It was during Mass that she experienced the most extraordinary marvels: often she saw visions of Jesus, particularly during the Consecration seeing Him in the figure of the priest or as the Infant Jesus in the priest's hands. Priests often experienced miraculous phenomena when saying Mass in her presence: St. Raymond, her confessor, attested to the fact that on one occasion a piece of the Sacred Host travelled across the church towards Catherine's pew. Other priests witnessed that they saw the Host moving or nodding towards her! On another occasion a priest was sorely reprimanded by Catherine when he tried to give her an unconsecrated Host at Communion time. It was most frequently after Communion that Catherine would be transported into ecstasy.

Other miraculous events transpired in Catherine's s presence: often, while she and her friends were baking bread together, particularly during times of drought and famine, amazing marvels occurred, recalling to mind the days of Jesus' public ministry. Only the wealthy could afford to buy grain and many of the poor were literally starving. Strangely, Catherine would always produce more loaves of bread than her friends, even though they began with the same quantity of flour. When her sister-in-law Alessia's flour would be mouldy and smelly, her end result would be fragrant and delicious bread! Although the women would have only a small quantity of flour remaining in their coffers, their supplies would never be depleted as long as they were making bread for the poor.

During the terrible days of 1374, the Black Death plague ravaged Europe: over half of the population of Siena alone was killed. During these days, Catherine worked night and day helping and comforting the sick and dying, endangering her life in the process. She also cured many during this siege, including her confessor and friend, St. Raymond. Catherine, herself, was miraculously healed during this time.

Evangelization 

Catherine's spiritual fame continued to spread throughout Italy. Wherever she went, she seemed to draw multitudes back to God. Conversions abounded in her presence! So powerful was her preaching that three Dominican priests had to travel with her at all times to hear the confessions of the large crowd of penitents who inevitably were drawn to her. She was asked to teach and preach throughout Tuscany and Lombardy. It is said that whole areas would experience a religious revival wherever Catherine preached. Her sole concern was the salvation of souls and for this she worked tirelessly. Reconciliation of enemies was also of central concern for her.

As her fame spread, she entered the political spheres of Italy and Europe, where political upheaval, civil instability and chaos reigned supreme. In this sphere she was a superb peacemaker, working feverishly to mediate disputes between the warring individuals, families, and city-states of Europe.

As significant as all this was, it was her role in restoring the papacy to Rome that placed her in the annals of Church history; in the process, she became one of the most influential women in the entire history of the Church.

Avignon

If Europe was in chaos, the state of the Church in the fourteenth century was equally perilous. She was ravaged by corruption, impurity and pride. The pope, Gregory XI, didn't even reside in Rome: he lived in Avignon, France. While he was residing there Catherine stated bluntly in her letter to him: "Uproot in the garden of Holy Church, the malodorous flowers, full of impurity and avarice, swollen with, pride: that is, the bad priests and rulers."

Civil war, anarchy and revolution had made Rome a very dangerous place to live. Pilgrims were robbed and beaten, and crime and bloodshed flourished. A Pope had even been kidnapped and beaten during one insurrection in Rome.

It was during these disordered times that the king of France invited the reigning Pontiff at the time, Clement V, to use the sumptuous royal palaces at Avignon as a "temporary" place of refuge. Here he could live securely under the protection of the French army. As a result, Clement and his next six successors remained in Avignon for a total of seventy years. The papacy became little more than a vassal of the French monarchy. It became known as "Babylon" and the Italian poet Petrarch referred to it as a "fountain of affliction, a house of wrath, a school of error, a temple of heresy."

One might wonder about the audacity of a young woman in her twenties who would write such a letter to a Pope! She acted, however, according to a Divine Revelation on April 1, 1376, when she had been selected and emboldened by God Himself to carry out this work of the purification of the Church--not only as a peacemaker but as God's "scourge" for the Church. To accomplish this mission, she wrote scores of letters to key authority figures in both Church and state and travelled thousands of miles in her mission. Reflecting on this mission, Pope Paul VI six-hundred years later stated that Catherine had had a unique call from God for the "charism of exhortation."

Outspoken

In her exhortations, Catherine minced no words. She wrote to a priest who was planning the murder of another priest: "Priest, live in peace with your Creator and make peace between His creatures. Respect the exalted dignity of your state. Those who should be temples of God are stables of swine." Strong words!

She referred to the Pope as "the sweet Christ on earth" and as "the sweet Babbo" ("Babbo" means "daddy"). She urged the faithful to treat the Pope with the love and respect that they would render to Jesus Himself, even if he didn't act as deserving of this respect. To those in Florence rebelling against Pope Gregory XI, she wrote "Even if he were an incarnate devil we ought not to raise up our heads against him, but calmly lie down to rest on his bosom."

Catherine travelled to Avignon to persuade Pope Gregory to return to Rome. He liked her and listened to her, and after much persuasion and exhortation, she succeeded in her goal: he left Avignon and in January 1377 returned to Rome "where the bones of the martyrs resided."

Catherine insisted that peace and reform could only return to the Church if the papacy was reinstated in Rome. It was during this year and the next that she dictated the Dialogue, her great work describing the mystical conversations which she had with Christ.

Unfortunately Pope Gregory died a year later and the situation in the Church deteriorated even further. Subsequently, the cardinals elected Pope Urban VI, a none-too-popular choice. The dissatisfied French cardinals left Rome and elected a French cardinal as Pope Clement VII, who returned to Avignon, leading to the scandalous situation of two rival Popes. Thus began the "Great Western Schism" which divided the Catholic Church for almost forty years. Catherine herself stayed loyal to the (unworthy) Urban, believing that he was the true pope.

Catherine had lived her life for the Church and for the salvation of souls, realizing that, so mortally wounded, the Church could only be saved by enormous sacrifice. She offered her life for this cause. She collapsed in excruciating pain and paralysis and died on April 29, 1380, at the age of 33.

Bibliography:

Anne Baldwin, Catherine of Siena. A Biography. Huntington, Our Sunday Visitor, 1987.

Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue. New York: Paulist, 1980.

Alice Curtayne, Saint Catherine of Siena. Rockford: Tan Publishers, 1980.

Mary Hansen is a member of the Third Order Discalced Carmelites. She lives in Barrie, ON.