St Catherine of Siena

Source: Wikipedia

St Catherine of Siena's feast day is on April 29th. As that falls on a Sunday this year, the Sunday takes precedence so it won't be celebrated except by her Dominican family on Monday. Catherine was the youngest child in a large family of 25. At the age of six she had a vision in which Jesus appeared and blessed her. Her parents wanted her to marry, but she became a Dominican tertiary. She was a mystic and stigmatist. Received a vision in which she was in a mystical marriage with Christ, and the Infant Christ presented her with a wedding ring. Counselor to Pope Gregory XI and Pope Urban VI and worked to bring the papacy back from Avignon to Rome. She was proclaimed Doctor of the Church on 4 October 1970 by Paul VI.

It is fitting that the upcoming Vocations Sunday on the 29th of April is also the feast of St. Catherine of Siena. Her often quoted phrase: "If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire" is a challenging invitation to each one of us!

Over at Pilgrims progress, Sr Louise has a reflection on Vocations Sunday and St Catherine of Siena.

The Dominican nuns in Drogheda have done a series of reflections on Catherine of Siena's as part of the novena seeking Catherine's intercession.

If you would like to read more of Catherine's writings they are available on Draw by Love.