Catherine+of+Siena

 ** St. Catherine of Siena **


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Ochsenhausen_klosterkirche_018_st_catherine_of_siena.JPG

 St. Catherine of Siena was a Catholic nun who devoted her whole life to God. She lived in Siena, Italy with a large family. She was a young girl who saw a vision of Christ at age 7, and promised her virginity for the rest of her life. When she grew up, she became a nun and was widely known. St. Catherine helped the poor and performed many acts of charity. She was a very famous religious figure of her time.

When St. Catherine grew up, she saw some of the conflicts between politics and religion and tried to resolve some of them. She was deeply involved in bringing peace to the Catholic church after the Great Schism. She gathered a group of disciples and together they focused on devoting their whole lives to God. She continued to do good works and was intent on fasting. By fasting, she believed that her sins would be forgiven. In her later years, St. Catherine wrote the 383 letters and the Dialogues about Catholicism and devoting her life to God. Her works greatly impressed the leaders of Italy and the heads of the Catholic church. One of her most famous books was The Dialogue of Divine Providence. It talks about interaction between humans and God. Many of her works are still used by Catholics and by the Catholic religion.

St. Catherine has frequently been called a mystic. She was honored as one of the most holy women of Italy. She believed that when misfortune fell, she was to blame. She reduced the small amount of food she consumed and eventually died of a condition called "holy anorexia". Even today, she is honored as one of the most important saints of the Catholic church.

Works Cited
 * Mattana. “File:Ochsenhausen klosterkirche 018 st catherine of siena.JPG.” Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. .
 * “St. Catherine of Siena.” European Renaissance and Reformation, 1350-1600. N.p.: Gale, 2001. N. pag. Vol. 1 of World Eras. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Mar. 2010.
 * “St. Catherine of Siena.” Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Ed. David Hugh Farmer. N.p.: Oxford University Press, 2003. N. pag. Oxford Reference Online. Web. 25 Mar. 2010.

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