Originally named Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa, she was born in Siena, in 1374, and she is considered a very important Italian theologian, philosopher and mystic, born and raised into a humble family. She was canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II and, together with Saint Francis of Assisi, she is the Patron Saint of Italy and Europe. Furthermore, she is considered the Patron Saint of Nursing, the Patroness against fire and illness, the United States of America, miscarriages, people ridiculed for their faith and sexual temptation.
When she was only 16, in 1363, she finally dedicated all her life to God, escaping the will of her parents, who wanted her to marry a rich man for economic reasons.
Let’s discover all the most important things about this world famous Saint, celebrated every year on April 29, the day of her death.
Charity and Patient Care
According to Saint Catherine, the best way to get closer to God consists in taking care of the poor and sick people, since they are the categories that impersonate Jesus Christ the most. Due to her extraordinary devotion to God, she decided to dedicate her life especially to those sick people who suffered from contagious diseases, as even the doctors of that time refused to take care of them. Since at that time Italy suffered from plague, lots of people were sick and got marginalized to avoid the increase of the contagion.
For this reason, she is considered the Patroness of nurses, together with Saint Agatha, Saint Camillus, Saint John of God and Saint Raphael the Archangel.
If you are a nurse or you generally take care of someone in need, you may be interested in the St Catherine of Siena Medal. Let faith inspire you and guide your work.
If you want to thank someone who took care of you, or still does, in a particular moment of physical vulnerability, the Saint Catherine of Siena Medal may be an original Catholic gift that will watch over the person who takes/took care of you.
You can now make it an even more original and unique gift with our customizable engraving.
The Ecstasies of the Saint
According to her confessor’s stories, Catherine had many visions of Jesus Christ and other Saints during her life. When she was only 6, she sought refuge in a hermitage to satisfy her desire to be consecrated to God. At the age of 20, one night she saw Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and a group of Saints: Jesus gave her a ring that she only could see, marrying her mystically. When she joined the Third Order of St Dominic, she had many visions in which she had talks with Jesus Christ, her mystical groom.
The Extreme Fasting of St Catherine of Siena
At the age of 33, Saint Catherine got sick, probably due to her extreme fasting. Time after time, she found it difficult to eat and drink and this accelerated her illness. Within weeks, she was unable to use her legs and died in 1830, on April 29, following a stroke just a week prior.
Today she is still considered one of the most influential and popular saints in the Church.
Prayer to St. Catherine of Siena, Patron Saint of Nursing
draw it to Thee by Thy power, O my God,
and grant me charity with filial fear.
Preserve me, O beautiful Love, from every evil thought;
warm me, inflame me with Thy dear love,
and every pain will seem light to me.
My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions.
Jesus, love, Jesus, love. Amen.
You have made the Blood of Christ so precious
through His sharing in Your Divine nature.
You are a mystery as deep as the sea;
the more I search, the more I find,
and the more I find, the more I search for You.
But I can never be satisfied;
what I receive will ever leave me desiring more.
When You fill my soul, I have an ever greater hunger,
and I grow more famished for Your light.
I desire above all to see You,
the true Light, as you really are. Amen.
In particular, we propose this silver binding rosary with olive wood beads, a sign of humility in which this famous Saint grew up.
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