Ave Maria University |
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St. Catherine of Sienna, Virgin & Doctor
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Saint Catherine of Siena, O.P. (March 25, 1347 - April 29, 1380) was a Tertiary (a lay affiliate) of the Dominican Order, and a scholastic philosopher and theologian. She was born into a prosperous urban family, her parents being Giacomo di Benincasa, a cloth-dyer, and Lapa Piagenti, a daughter of a local poet. She was their 23rd child out of 25 (Catherine's twin sister, the 24th, died at birth).
| St. Catherine of Siena. Detail of a work by Domenico Beccafumi, c. 1515 | |
| Virgin and Doctor of Church |
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"Catherine of Siena is one of only 33 Doctors of the Church. Even though she never had formal theological education, out of her deep life of prayer God communicated to her much wisdom about how to make progress on the spiritual journey. God the Father gave her profound insights into the meaning of hell, purgatory and heaven and Catherine is noted for her ability to communicate the "big picture" in a way which helps orient us to the decisions we are faced with in life on this earth. She combined in her life a deep life of contemplative prayer and an active life of mission and ministry and is passionate about communicating these truths to us now."
(A good introduction to the thought of Catherine of Siena is contained in Ralph Martin's CD series "Growing in Love: The Stages of Spiritual Growth According to Catherine of Siena" as well as in his book The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints, available at http://www.renewalministries.net/ )