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Who was St. Catherine of Siena?

To the servant of God, every place is the right place, and every time is the right time. ~ St. Catherine of Siena
To the servant of God, every place is the right place, and every time is the right time.
~ St. Catherine of Siena

Who was St. Catherine of Siena?

From The Love of Christ Impels Us

A Short History of St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital and St. Dominic Health Services, Inc. 1946-2000

By Susan Karina Dickey and Josephine Therese Uhll

St. Catherine was born in Siena, Italy in 1347. At the age of seven she consecrated her lif to Jesus and nine years later she received the habit of the lay Dominicans. As a lay Dominican she did not live in a convent with a religious community, but from her family home she visited the sick and engaged in other works of mercy and charity. During her lifetime the Black Death 9bubonic plague) swept across Europe and Catherine served its victims with great love and devotions, yet never contracted the disease. She lived a life of intense prayer and ministered—to the point of exhaustion—to the sick, the poor, the imprisoned, and the suffering of every kind. She acquired a reputation as a peace maker and was called upon to arbitrate between city states and various factions within the church. In 1380, at the age of 33, Catherine suffered what appears to be a stroke and died seven days later. In 1461 Pope Pius II canonized her a saint and several hundred years later, in 1970, Pope Paul VI declared her to be a Doctor of the Church, that is, someone recognized for her wisdom and contributions to the understanding of church teaching.

 

To the servant of God, every place is the right place, and every time is the right time.

~ St. Catherine of Siena

 


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