Eternal God, receive the sacrifice of my life for your Church.
Accept my heart and impress upon it the face of your Son, Jesus, alleluia.

giovanni-di-paolo-catherine-and-pope

Words fail the love many hearts feel for the saint we celebrate today, our Dominican sister Catherine of Siena.

From the Dominican Ordo:

Catherine Benincasa was born at Siena, Italy, in 1347, the youngest of twenty-five children.  Inspired by divine grace she vowed her virginity to God while still a small girl and after overcoming the objections of her family pursued a life of prayer and penance as a Sister of Penance of St. Dominic.  She continued in this way of life until 1370 when in a vision God asked her to undertake an active apostolate and become involved in the affirs of her age. Several times she was able to bring about peace among the Italian city-states and, while representing the Florentines at Avignon, was instrumental in persuading Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome.

On April 1, 1375, by divine favor she received the stigmata.  The Dialogue (1378), which she left for her large family of disciples, is a masterpiece of spiritual and theological doctrine and has become a source of riches for the entire Dominican family.  She died in Rome on April 29, 1380, and was buried in the basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.  In 1970 Pope Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church.

For more on the life of Holy Catherine, click here and here.  For a link to her Dialogue, click here.  And for her letters, click here.

God of wisdom,
you made Saint Catherine burn with divine love
in contemplating the Lord’s passion
and in serving your Church.
With the help of her prayers
may your people, united in the mystery of Christ,
rejoice forever in the revelation of his glory,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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