Born: March 25, 1347, Siena, Tuscany
Died: April 29, 1380, Rome; canonized 1461;
feast day April 29
Saint Catherine of Siena was a Dominican nun mystic and Doctor of the Church, who played a significant role in the public affairs of her day.
Originally named Caterina Benincasa, she was born in Siena, Italy, on March 25, 1347, to a family of modest means. She probably learned to read at an early age but could not write until she was an adult. Even as a child, she claimed to have visions and lived austerely. At the age of 16, she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic in Siena, where she became noted for her gift of contemplation and her devotion to the poor. She soon began to dictate letters on spiritual matters that won her even more admiration. In 1374, Raymond of Capua, future master general of the Dominican order, became her spiritual director and was from then on closely associated with all her activities. In 1376 Catherine journeyed to Avignon to plead with Pope Gregory XI on behalf of Florence, then at war with the papacy. Although she failed in this mission yet she convinced the pope to return to Rome and end the Avignonese exile of the popes. Catherine returned to contemplation and works of mercy in Siena and simultaneously tried to promote peace in Italy and a crusade to recover the Holy Land, long one of her favourite projects. Deeply distressed by the Great Schism, which broke out in 1378, she went to Rome in November to rally support for Pope Urban VI and work for unity. She died there on April 29, 1380; her body is buried in the Church of Saint Maria sopra Minerva. She was canonized by Pope Pius II in 1461 and made a Doctor of the Church in 1970; her feast day is April 29.
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