Lay Dominican's Ireland

Catherine was born on 25 March 1347, in Siena, Italy, at a time when the Black Death was devastating Europe. Her father, Giacomo Benincasa, was a prosperous wool dyer in the town. Catherine’s mother was Mona Lappa. Catherine was the twenty-fourth child of a family of twenty five. Her twin sister Giovanna died shortly after birth.

At the age of six, Catherine saw a vision of Jesus above the Dominican Church in Siena as she walked home from visiting her married sister with her older brother. She did not tell anyone what she had seen, but decided to dedicate her life to Jesus. It was not easy finding a quiet place to pray with such a large family, so Catherine would go to the nearby bluebell wood and sit quietly there.

Love for God

When Catherine was fifteen, she heard that arrangements were being made for her to marry. Catherine did not want to marry, but she did not want to enter the convent and become a nun either. She decided to cut off her beautiful long hair, in the hope that no one would be interested in marrying her. Her family were furious, and they made her work as a servant in her own home. They would not allow her to have any spare time or a bedroom for herself. Catherine decided she would “make a secret cell in her own heart”, a place where she could pray quietly to Jesus as she carried out her work.

After a year, Catherine’s father Giacomo realised Catherine was serious about giving her life to God and he gave her a bedroom for herself. Here Catherine prayed constantly, only leaving her room to attend Mass in the local Dominican church, Santo Domingo.

When she was about seventeen years old, Catherine joined a group of local women called the Mantellate. They were lay Dominican women, who spent their lives in prayer, while remaining in their own homes. At first, they thought that Catherine was too young to join them, but she was determined, and they eventually welcomed her into the group.

Love of Neighbour

Catherine prayed to Jesus as a friend. She had conversations with him, and felt that Jesus was really present as she prayed. In 1368, when Catherine was about twenty one years old, Jesus asked her to leave her room and visit those who were sick in Siena. Catherine did not want to leave her room, but Jesus reminded her “Remember, I have laid down two commandments of love: love of me and love of your neighbour… On two feet you must walk my way. On two wings, you must fly to Heaven. I shall be your guide in everything”.

Accompanied by her mother, Catherine visited the hospitals in Siena. She also visited the sick in their homes and went to the local leprosarium, which was situated outside the walls of the town, because the disease was so contagious. People were impressed by Catherine’s simplicity and love for others, and soon many people joined her, and they travelled together to visit those in need. They called themselves her family.

Catherine was like St. Dominic, preaching whenever and wherever she could. She wanted everyone to know about the great love God has for all His children.

Catherine visited prisoners, even when they were reluctant to hear what she had to say. One prisoner, Nicholas, asked Catherine to accompany him as he went to his execution, because he was terrified. Catherine stayed with him, giving him courage, although in those days, it was unheard of for a woman to be present at an execution.

Writer and Negotiator

Catherine did not learn to read or write until she was an adult. She dictated herDialogue to three secretaries, and wrote over four hundred letters to family members, friends, kings, princes and Popes. Catherine used metaphors in her writings to speak of God’s love for all. She used images from her own environment and her own experience. She speaks of God’s love as a fire. In The Dialogue she describes Christ as the bridge between humanity and God. In Medieval times, a bridge had a roof for shelter, and shops along its length. Catherine believed Jesus would protect and show mercy to those who wished to make the journey towards God, sustaining them along the way through the Sacraments.

In 1377 Catherine established a convent at Belcaro, outside Siena, for her followers. They lived simple lives, in community, just like St. Dominic had done.

Catherine was a skilled negotiator, and was often asked to settle disputes between families. The people of Florence asked Catherine to negotiate a peace settlement between their State and the Papacy. To do this, Catherine had to travel to Avignon in France, where Pope Gregory resided. When she met with Pope Gregory, she also persuaded him to return to Rome from Avignon. His successor, Pope Urban VI was also challenged by Catherine, who wrote many letters to him, reminding him that “Justice must be set in mercy”.

Catherine was loyal to Pope Urban VI during the Great Schism which began in 1378. The Church was in crisis throughout Europe during this time. Some Cardinals, who did not like Pope Urban’s reforms for the Church, had elected another Pope to take his place. Catherine travelled to Rome in 1378 to support and advise the Pope.

Catherine died in Rome on 29 April 1380. Her body was buried in the Church of the Minerva in Rome. She was just 33 years old, but during her lifetime she had answered Jesus’ call to love God and neighbour. She moved from the solitude of her room to living in community. She believed friends were a gift from God, and told her followers “Learn as friends, always to depend on each other; for being without friends is a foretaste of hell”.

Like St. Dominic, Catherine told her followers not to be sad when she died “I shall be with you always, and I will be of more use to you in Heaven than I was on earth”.

Catherine was canonised in 1461 and declared co-patron of Italy in 1939 by Pope Pius XII.  In October 1970, Pope Paul VI declared Catherine a Doctor of the Church, representing all laywomen, and Pope John Paul II named her a Patron of Europe in the year 2000.

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