[public domain miniature of Catherine from Wikimedia Commons] Born in 1347, just a few years before Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena was an extroverted woman who also wrote (well, dictated) one book, The Dialogues, when she was thirty-one. And that’s the end of similarities, aside of course from the big one of a deep relationship with God. In contrast to Julian, confined to her anchorage, Catherine was a woman on the move. She didn’t begin that way. As a child, she wanted to be wholly dedicated to God, going so far as to cut off her hair when she was of a marriageable age, so that no man would want her. (Catherine was the 24th of 25 children; one can appreciate how marriage did not seem desirable.) She begged her father for a room of her own and finally wore him down. She spent her days alone in that room, except that Jesus came to visit daily for three years. They spoke together and he taught her to read and write. After three years, he stood outside her doorway, telling her she must come out now. At the age of sixteen she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic (First Order = friars, Second Order = nuns, Third Order = laypersons). That position would still bind her to vows of poverty, obedience, and celibacy. Although living outside the convent, Third Order members could also wear the Dominican habit. She became a nurse, caring for patients with leprosy and advanced cancer whom other nurses disliked to treat. Catherine was all about peace and reconciliation, marching across Italy getting feuding families to make peace. A group of followers gathered around her. She and her group set off for Avignon, France, where the Pope was living in exile. She convinced him to move back to Rome where he belonged. (That didn’t last, however; it was a messy time for the papacy.) She began to acquire a reputation as a person of insight and sound judgment, and many persons from all walks of life sought her spiritual advice, both in person and by letter. We have about four hundred letters from her to bishops, kings, scholars, merchants, and obscure peasants. She persuaded many priests who were living in luxury to give away their goods and to live simply. Eating, which had never been very important to her, nearly stopped altogether; according to legend, she lived on the communion wafer and a bit of water for the last nine years of her life. Pope Paul VI made her a Doctor of the Church in 1970, along with Teresa of Avila, the first two women doctors, signifying that their teaching is approved. Next post to come: my meeting with Catherine
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Saints Alive!
I have been privileged to offer Noonday Prayer at my church, usually on Thursdays, which doesn’t matter because it’s on Youtube forever. [It’s amazing what can be done with a smartphone and a smart, helpful parish administrator!] The service is brief, with a place for a meditation. We usually look at the Episcopal calendar of saints, who are nearly always honored on their death dates, not their birth dates. Here is a hymn by medieval saint Hildegard of Bingen to set the mood.
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