Saint Catherine of Siena is celebrated in the church as a
mystic, spiritual writer, healer, counsellor, and for her service to the poor
and the sick. However, it was her work for peace and reconciliation within the
church that struck me on Saturday July 8 as I viewed the busts of several popes
that were installed under the portico of her house in Siena. It was a bright
yet quiet day in Siena. The mood was prayerful. After I completed my visits to
the chapel and Catherine’s cell, I saw the figures of the popes. While
Catherine’s holiness was recognized by her contemporaries long before the
church’s hierarchy took notice of her, the figures of these popes at her house were
a sign to me of how much Catherine loved the church and her tireless efforts to
bring about unity in a church in which women held no ecclesiastical
power. Thus, she worked from a place of marginality in her time.
Below the portico of Catherine’s house, we can observe the
figures of Pope Pius II, who canonized her on 29 June 1461 and Pius IX announced
her as co-patron saint of Rome for her courageous efforts to persuade Pope
Gregory XI to return the seat of the papacy from Avignon to Rome. Pius XII
declared Catherine patron saint of Italy on June 19, 1939 and, on the occasion
of the five-hundredth anniversary of her canonization in 1961, Pope John XXIII
encouraged all Christians to celebrate her. In 1970, Pope Paul VI proclaimed
Catherine a doctor of the Church. Saint Catherine together with Saint Teresa of
Avila were the first of only four women on whom this title has been bestowed to
date. The final figure is of Pope John Paul II who declared her patron saint of
Europe in recognition of her work for peace there and her efforts to persuade the
leaders of her time to follow Christian values.
The visit to Siena was a dream come true for me because
Catherine is patroness of my religious congregation. I admire her spirituality
and love for the Dominican way of life. I am inspired by her care of the sick
and the poor, her wisdom and gift of counsel. Catherine did not receive a formal
education but her ability to negotiate with popes, bishops, clergy, kings and
other leaders indicate that she was politically astute and had a keen sense of people. She was clever and courageous.
Saint Catherine, woman of faith, lover of the church, pray
for us.
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