She was an important defender of the papacy and is a patron saint of Europe and of Italy. - King Fernando III! She also wrote books and poems about her faith. She was also a reformer and political activist, and she was influential in religious and political affairs of the church. One of them took place in the garden: a sister who was working there cut off her own foot with a violent blow of the hoe. Her skin is still normal, except that it has become darkened by the oil lamps and candles which have burned about over the centuries. The penances, labours and struggles against the devil took their toll on her health. Find Your Educational Consultant Review Our Catalogs Search the SiteSEARCH Faith Formation Programs Christ Our LifeChrist Our Life Finding GodFinding God Sacramental PreparationSacramental Preparation Growing With GodGrowing with God Soon numerous miracles began to take place. Printable Catholic Saints PDFs These nuns turned away from anything that kept them from focusing on God. St. Catherine was convinced that the moment of her departure from this world was at hand, but her spiritual daughters, although resigned to the divine plan, redoubled their prayers and supplications asking Heaven to leave her a little longer among them. She also served as a caretaker for the animals. She was buried in Bologna but soon after her burial, miracles began happening near her gravesite. In 1432, Catherine and other young women of Ferrara founded a monastery of the Order of Poor Clares, an order founded by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. In one instance, she had the baby Jesus placed in her arms by the Blessed Virgin Mary. He inscribed her name in the Martyrology of Saints of the Roman Catholic Church. Open now Thy arms wounded on the cross to receive my soul, which I offer in sacrifice to the glory of Thy Name. Fortunati, Vera, Jordano Pomeroy & Claudio Strinati. WebThroughout her life, Catherine experienced visions of both Jesus Christ and Satan, which she documented in her treatise. Tradition tells us that the white mark which remained on St. Catherines incorrupt body indicates the exact spot where Jesus affectionately kissed her. She struggled with herself to resist the somnolence, and implored divine help. Her skin has since been blackened due to exposure from oil lamps and soot. In the beginning, after they realized they could not place her body in the grave, four nuns would carry Saint Catherine's body to the parlor on a wooden stretcher, every time visitors came to view the body, or the faithful wanted to venerate the Saint. Catherine was determined to live a life of perfection, and was admired by her companions for her holiness. .css-tadcwa:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}V. M. Traverso - @media screen and (max-width: 767px){.css-1xovt06 .date-separator{display:none;}.css-1xovt06 .date-updated{display:block;width:100%;}}published on 05/10/19. Then, repeating the sweet name of Jesus three times, she took flight to meet the Lamb. So, it was decided that she should be exhumed. Saint Catherine was particularly tactful in preserving peace within herself and peace among the members of her community. When she was a young girl, her aristocratic father sent her to court in Ferrara to be a lady-in-waiting to the Marquis daughter, Princess Margarita. Create a scrapbook of saints inspired by the artistic sensibility of St. Catherine. She was the daughter of John de Vigri and Benvenuta Mammolini. As St. Catherines illness continued to worsen, she received the last Sacraments. Want to see fewer ads on Aleteia? Compose a prayer in honor of artists, asking for the intercession of St. Catherine. Crossing of the Red Sea; Moses Changing Aarons Rod into a Snake; Moses Saved from the River; Moses Then she became Superioress of a new school in Bologna. Catherine became known as a miracle worker after her death in 1463. But her humility did not stop her spiritual and creative genius. Born in Bologna on September 8, 1413, Catherine was the daughter of Giovanni dVigri, a noble gentleman of the Ferrara court, and Benvenuta Mammolini. In another version of the painting, right before St. Catherine was to be beheaded, we see a devout woman kneeling before God with her hands in the position of one who is praying. The reputation of the Community for its holiness and austerity became widespread. She was declared a doctor of the church in 1970 and a patron saint of Europe in 1999. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Catherine-of-Bologna, The Catholic Encyclopedia - Biography of St. Catherine of Bologna. And, her painting of St. Ursula remains on display in a Venice gallery. In 1456 she founded in Bologna a convent of Poor Clares, serving as abbess until her death. Miraculous cures began to occur at St Catherines gravesite, as even the incurable were instantly healed. It remains intact, never having decomposed for over five hundred years! Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. St Catherine's body has remained incorrupt and retains its quality of flexibility like that of a living body. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. She rapidly gained a wide reputation for her holiness and her severe asceticism. WebCatherine returned home and joined a group of young women who performed good works in Jesus name and spent time in prayer together every day. WebCatherine was to be canonized by Pope Clement XI on 22 May 1712. http://www.robertsimon.com/works_html/fontana.html To their amazement, her body which had lost none of its suppleness, rigor mortise never having set in, became stiff, and the nuns could not place her in the chair. Return to Franciscan Calendar Page Return to Incorruptible Saints Page Return to Saints Page Return to Roman Catholic Saints Homepage Although she probably taught similar ideas, she kept the written version hidden until she neared death and then handed it to her confessor with instructions to send a copy to the Poor Clares at Ferrara. Catherine left for Tuscany the day after Gregory set out for Rome (1376). (LogOut/ Learn about this Italian saint, whose feast is March 9. At just 17 years old, Catherine joined a semi-religious lay community and later went on to join other women in founding a monastery of the Order of Poor Clares. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In the middle of the last century, a glass casing was added to protect her. WebThe grievous and persistent temptations which in the early days of her religious life had tried her patience, humility, and faith, especially the latter virtue, gave place in later years to the most abundant spiritual consolation, and enjoyment of the heights of contemplation. Crossing of the Red Sea; Moses Changing Aarons Rod into a Snake; Moses Saved from the River; Moses Her incorrupt body is preserved in the city of Bologna, in the chapel of the monastery of Corpus Domini. WebCatherine was to be canonized by Pope Clement XI on 22 May 1712. She would live there for seven years, until her leave-taking from this earth. WebSaint Catherine of Bologna was charged with the duties of the bakery; she cheerfully undertook this laborious service, and even when the heat began to affect her eyes, she remained at her post as long as the abbess required it. [11] These were discovered around 2000 and described by Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: as "now revealed in their surprising beauty. Born into an aristocratic family in the city of Ferrara, northern Italy, she was educated in the artsshe particularly excelled at the viola and miniature paintingand selected to become an official companion to the daughter of the local Marquis of Ferrara at age 11. Local nuns still run the church and will provide information leaflets with more in-depth facts about St. Catherines life. Catherine became known as a miracle worker after her death in 1463. Pope Benedict described this humble saint as, "From the distance of so many centuries she is still very modern and speaks to our lives. Then she became Superioress of a new school in Bologna. She explained that although it took precious time, the purpose of her religious art was "to increase devotion for herself and others".[18]. Soon, the women decided to join an order of nuns called the Poor Clares. , written in 1438 and continuously re-drafted until her death in 1463. You have entered an incorrect email address! It's FREE! Corrections? [16] Recently one scholar has tried to question certain attributions. St. Catherine's piety, charity, and kindness attracted many to follow her along the road to Christian perfection. She was followed by Popes (one of whom was Pope Clement VII), Cardinals (including St. Charles Borromeo who gifted her with a precious vestment), Emperors, Princes and all kinds of personages. She was only thirteen when, after the death of her father, she felt drawn to the religious life and joined a community formed by a group of noblewomen of the city. WebClare is known as a patron of artists, probably because she worked as a manuscript illustrator. Her most remarkable vision was on Christmas Eve, when she claimed that Mary appeared to her with baby Jesus, and that Mary even let Catherine hold him. Read his story here. var _gaq=_gaq||[];_gaq.push(['_setAccount','UA-27202388-1']);_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);(function(){var ga=document.createElement('script');ga.type='text/javascript';ga.async=true;ga.src=('https:'==document.location.protocol? WebCatherine returned home and joined a group of young women who performed good works in Jesus name and spent time in prayer together every day. She was a model of piety and reported experiencing miracles and several visions of Christ, the Virgin Mary, Thomas Becket, and Joseph, as well as future events, such as the fall of Constantinople in 1453. There, she served as an abbess until. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Spiritual visions consoled and disturbed her at various times in her life, which we know from her work, The Seven Spiritual Weapons. She did this with all the reverence of a daughter, and when the service was finished, she held and kissed them with deep veneration. Soon, the women decided to join an order of nuns called the Poor Clares. . WebIn St. Catherine of Bologna, Divine Providence deposited admirable gifts, among which stand out her docility in allowing herself to be loved by God. Learn about this Italian saint, whose feast is March 9. It was only when the Abbess ordered her, did Catherine, out of obedience, sit unaided in the chair and in the same position she can be found to this day. She was known for her holiness, asceticism, and spiritual visions and was said to have received stigmata. Catherine had spent 24 years in the convent at Ferrara and had trained many sisters in the way of sanctity when, at the request of the city of Bologna, she was sent with 15 sisters to establish a similar convent in her native town. The ecclesiastical and civil authorities, as well as the people, received the foundresses of the new convent with great deference. Prospero Fontana was an Italian Mannerist Painter who lived from 1512 to 1597. Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more. Her body was discovered incorrupt and remains so today. The record of her ecstatic experiences in The Dialogue illustrates her doctrine of the inner cell of the knowledge of God and of self into which she withdrew. She denounced the Emperor Maxentius in person for his persecution of the Christians, and when 50 pagan philosophers were converted by her arguments, he had them burned to death. 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