St. Catherine of Siena, along with St. Francis of Assisi, holds the distinction of being one of the two patron saints of Italy. Caterina (as she was called in Italian) was born in Siena, Italy in the 14th century and was (gasp!) the 24th child of her mother (obviously, in those days, not all of them lived). Apparently, Catherine had her first apparition of Christ when she was a mere six years old and swore chastity by seven. She was devout to say the least: fasting, cutting off her hair, taking vows of solitude and silence, tending to the sick and poor, and giving away her earthly possessions (regardless of the cost to her family). Later, moved by Christ again, she was called into public life where she championed Church reform and encouraged peace among the various provinces of Italy. Although Catherine had little education, she became one of the leading theological minds of her day and wrote prolifically (contributing to the establishment of the Tuscan dialect as the Italian standard). Her other purpose: playing mediator in the “Great Western Schism†(a split within the Catholic Church when two different men claimed Pope). She was proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1970 (one of the first women to be named so) and, aside from Italy, she is the patron saint of fire prevention, as well. Her feast day is April 29 or 30.
