Today is the Feast Day of St Catherine of Siena “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire!” -St. Catherine of Siena Catherine of Siena was born in Siena, Italy on March 25, 1347 to an enormous lower middle-class family; she was one of twenty-five children. In her early childhood Catherine began to see visions and was already living an extremely austere life. At the age of seven she consecrated her virginity to Christ. When she turned sixteen, Catherine took the habit of the Third Order of St. Dominic and “cloistered” herself in a little room in her parent’s house. After three years of mystical experiences and a deepening relationship with Christ, she rejoined her family and began to serve the sick, especially those afflicted with the most repulsive diseases, to care for the poor, and to labor for the conversion of sinners. Catherine experienced terrible physical suffering and would live however for long periods on no food except the Blessed Sacrament. Through these periods, she was always joyful, happy, and full of practical wisdom. In her life, Catherine was also continually misunderstood even by the friars and tertiaries of her own Order. Even so, men and women attracted to her charm, her love of God, and her extraordinary virtue began to form a spiritual fellowship around her. During the summer of 1370, she received a series of special visions which revealed to her sacred mysteries of her faith. These visions culminated in
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