Catherine was born in Siena, Italy, in 1347 and became a Dominican tertiary known for her deep prayer and mystical union with Christ. She cared tirelessly for the sick and the poor, and her letters and counsel helped persuade Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy from Avignon to Rome. She died in Rome in 1380 at the age of thirty-three and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1970.
Catherine shows that great holiness can live in a short life, and that love for God overflows naturally into care for others. Though she suffered much, she trusted that Christ was near in every trial, writing that all the way to heaven is heaven itself. Her courage and tenderness invite us to bring our grief and our hopes honestly to God.
Saint Catherine of Siena, who loved Christ with an undivided heart, pray for us and for all we hold in love, that we may trust God's nearness in sorrow and in joy. Amen.