The time Pope Francis praised Santa Catalina de Siena

In the feast of Santa Catalina de Siena, of 2021, Pope Francis expressed his desire that the “great female figure of faith” continued to inspire a more cheerful and fervent testimony.

“The Holy Father hopes that, especially in the context of the 560th anniversary of the canonization of the Holy Mienesa, the example of a disciple of such generous Christ fosters an increasingly cheerful and fervent testimony of faith and charity to promote the civilization of love,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin wrote in a telegram in the name of the Pope, published on April 29, 2021.

The Secretary of State of the Vatican sent the telegram to Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice, Archbishop of Siena-Colle di Val d’Elsa-Montalcino, expressing the good wishes of the Pope to the Catholics of the Archdiocese during the three days of celebration of the saint of his hometown.

Santa Catalina de Siena is a doctor of the Church and Copatrona from Europe. He played a fundamental role to end the exile of Pedro’s successors in Aviñón in the fourteenth century.

Who was Santa Catalina de Siena?

Born in Siena in 1347, on the festival of the Annunciation, as a child showed an exceptionally independent character and an exceptionally intense prayer life.

At 7 he had the first of his mystical visions, in which he saw Jesus surrounded by saints and sitting in glory. That same year he swore to consecrate his virginity to Christ.

When, at 16, his parents decided that he should marry, he cut his hair to be less attractive, and his father, realizing that he could not with his determination, let him do what he wanted.

He joined the Dominican tertiary and lived a deep and lonely life of prayer and meditation during the following three years, in which he had constant mystical experiences, culminating this period with an extraordinary union with God, granted only to a few mystical and known as “mystical marriage.”

Santa Catalina suffered many dissolation periods along with her mystical ecstasy, often feeling totally abandoned by God. He also attended the sick, poor and marginalized, especially the lepers.

Are Dialoguea spiritual classic, collects its visions that dictated in a state of mystical ecstasy.

God called her to a more public life when she was still twenty years old, and corresponded with many influential figures, advising them, admonishing them and exhorting them to holiness, including the Pope himself, whom he also rebuked when he considered it appropriate.

Contributed to peace when the Holy See and Florence were at war. In his deathbed, he made possible the healing of the great schism among the followers of the legitimate Pope, Urban VI, and those who opposed the Pontiff.

Santa Catalina de Siena died in Rome on April 29, 1380, at the age of 33. After his death, stigmas appeared in his incorrupt body. He was canonized by Pope Pius II on June 29, 1461.

On one occasion he said: “If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire.”

This story was first published on April 29, 2021 and has been updated.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published by CNA.