Essay Flashcards
Intro
Catherine of Siena, born 1347, was a remarkable woman we should all aspire to be like. Her life teaches us that we should always be compassionate and to better our relationship with God. She also teaches us that there really isn’t an excuse not to be.
Early Life
Catherine was born in 1347 in Siena, Italy during the black death. She was born to a family of 25 though half of them had died. At age 5 she was seeing visions of god and by 7 she had fully devoted her life to him. When she was 16 her parents insisted that she would marry her sister’s widower. She refused, cut her hair, and fasted until her parents relented. Later she would go on to join the Dominicans.
A life of service
A way Catherine could be considered remarkable is through her life of service. It is said that she would frequently have conversations with Christ, falling into a trance-like state. In 1375 she would receive the stigmata while praying to the lord. Eventually, in 1366 she would return to her family and begin to care and look after those who had contracted the black death and other repulsive diseases nobody wanted to be near. Starting in 1370, she started to write letters to states of Italy at war. She would give spiritual advice to all sorts of people. She saw that the biggest issue within the church was the Pope living in Avignon and she made it her business as a loyal Catholic to sort it out.
The Repair of the Papacy
Catherine could also be considered remarkable through her dedication to the repair of the papacy. From the 1370’s she would lead a campaign to convince the pope to return to Rome from Avignon. Using all her persuasiveness and writing many letters to the Pope and other people of influence she kept up the pressure on Pope Gregory. She was sent to Avignon as ambassador of Florence in 1376 and made a big impression on the Pope in spite of the opposition of the French king and he returned the papacy to Rome.
