April 29th
Feast of St Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine of
Siena was born on March 25, 1347 during the outbreak of the plague in Siena,
Italy. She was the 25th child born to
her mother, though half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood. Catherine herself was a twin, but her sister
did not survive infancy.
When Catherine was
16, her sister Bonaventura, died, leaving her husband as a widower. Catherine's parents proposed that he marry
Catherine. Catherine strongly opposed
this, so she began fasting and cut her hair short to mar her appearance.
Despite Catherine's
religious nature, she did not choose to enter a convent and instead she joined
the Third Order of St. Dominic, which allowed her to associate with a religious
society while living at home. Fellow
Dominican sisters taught Catherine to read. Meanwhile, she lived quietly, isolated within
her family home.
Something changed
her when she was 21. She described an
experience she referred to as her "mystical
marriage to Christ.” Mystical
experiences change people, and Catherine was no exception. In her vision, she was told to reenter public
life and to help the poor and sick. She
immediately rejoined her family and went into public to help people in need. She often visited hospitals and homes where
the poor and sick were found. Her activities
attracted followers who helped her in her mission to serve the poor and sick.
Catherine began dictating
letters to scribes in 1375, and is credited with composing over 400 letters –
her Dialogue – which is her
definitive work, and her prayers. These
works are so influential that St. Catherine would later be declared a Doctor of
the Church. She petitioned for peace and was instrumental in persuading the
Pope in Avignon to return to Rome. She
became involved in the fractured politics of her time, but was instrumental in
restoring the Papacy to Rome and in brokering peace deals during a time of
factional conflict and war between the Italian city states.
By 1380, the 33-year-old mystic
had become ill, possibly due to her habit of extreme fasting. Her confessor, Raymond, ordered her to eat,
but she replied that she found it difficult to do so, and that possibly she was
ill. In January of 1380, her illness
accelerated her inability to eat and drink. Within weeks, she was unable to use her legs. She died on April 29, following a stroke just
a week prior.
St. Catherine's
feast day is April 29, and is one of the most influential and popular saints in
the Church.
My First Profession
The feast of St.
Catherine of Siena is also the day I celebrate the anniversary of my first
profession. When I began my graduate
studies, I adopted St Catherine of Siena as my patron saint because she was
among the first women Doctors of the Church.
I especially admired her prophetic voice – and that many clergy,
including bishops, sought her out for spiritual direction. Even the pope listened to her! Other than that, I knew little of her, but in
reflecting on my ministerial and vocation journey, I believe she took her role
as ‘patron saint’ quite seriously. During my studies and afterwards she has come
through for me on many occasions. I must
say that she probably plays a big part in my religious vocation. Never would I have imagined that this 4th-generation
Texan would become a Dominican Sister living in Michigan! It is one of the reasons that I asked and was
granted permission to make my First Profession on her feast day! …so I’m sharing a few pictures with you.
Sunday, May 14th Is ‘Second’
Sunday!
Are you discerning a call to religious
life?
Do you want to talk to someone about your
vocation?
The
second Sunday of each month is set aside for you!
You are invited to spend the day with us,
and pray, worship, eat, play and meet with
the
Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids.
Call us! Email us! Visit us!
