Why Is St. Catherine Important

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St. Catherine of Bologna
St. Catherine, virgin of the Church, was born as Catherine de’ Vigri on September 8, 1413 in Bologna, Italy. She grew up in a wealthy home and received a great education. Catherine loved and excelled at painting, Latin, and the viola. When Catherine was only 13 or 14 years old she had a calling for the religious life and joined the convent of Corpus Domini at Ferrara. These were devout women who followed the rule of the Third Order of St. Augustine. Four years later, unhappiness spread through this religious community which caused Catherine and others to join the Poor Clares in Ferrara. They were an order founded by Saint Francis and St. Clare of Assisi.
The Poor Clares focused on their devotion to God
by giving up worldly possessions. They also believed in sharing everything. In the convent, Catherine was very humble and took on the household chores like laundry, baking and taking care of the animals. She did not like the leadership roles. Throughout her life, Catherine was known for her joyful personality, religious lifestyle and dedication which attracted many other young women to the Poor Clares.
In 1456, when Catherine was older she left the Ferrera monastery with 15 other sisters and was sent to establish a new Poor Clares convent in Bologna.
Although she liked to take on lesser roles, at the new convent she was abbess and had to maintain peace among the sisters. She took on this job until her death. The Poor Clares under Catherine’s guidance were known for their service to the poor and holiness. Catherine’s love of art continued throughout her life and she was said to even be playing her viola on her deathbed. She was also known for painting religious pictures and miniatures, copying manuscripts and illustrating them, and writing poetry and spiritual guides. Her work can be seen today in a gallery in Venice and on display at Oxford University. One of Catherine’s works is Treatise on the Seven Spiritual Weapons. This is an account of Catherine’s path of faith and the struggles she endured. Her words of wisdom are still inspiring people today.
Throughout her life, Catherine experienced religious visions. She was said to be a mystic and saw extraordinary and gruesome visions. For example, she experienced baby Jesus in her arms and was also tortured with visions of Satan. Later in life she was able to overcome the horrible visions of Satan through prayer. She used her visions to spiritually guide her
sisters. Catherine grew ill at the age of 49 and died a couple months after becoming sick on March 9, 1463. Days before she died, her fellow sisters noted that her skin turned back to its youthful appearance similar to the day she entered the order. The Poor Clares had a tradition to not be buried with a coffin. Eighteen days after she was buried, visitors noticed a sweet smell coming from her grave and they were experiencing miracles. The church decided to exhume her body and found that it was still intact. Her body has been on display for 600 years at the Church of the Saint in Bologna or the chapel of Poor Clares. Although her skin is black from exposure, her body is in good condition and she sits on a golden throne in her nun clothing behind a glass case. Catherine was canonized a saint by Saint Benedict XIII on May 22, 1712 and “represents the saints who serve the Lord in obscurity”. Catherine’s lifestyle of dedication to prayer, penance and charity drew her closer to God. Although her ways may not be for everyone, we can learn from her devotion. Her feast day is celebrated on March 9th and she is the Patron Saint of Artists and Against Temptations. Pope Benedict spoke of her in these words:
“Yet in all these situations she was always holding the Lord’s hand, she did not leave him, she did not abandon him. And walking hand in hand with the Lord, she walked on the right path and found the way of the light.”