Catherine Benincasa was born in Siena in Italy on March 25th, 1347. At that time, there was a great plague in Italy and half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood. At the age of 16, Catherine’s sister died; her sister had been married, so their parents proposed that Catherine marry her husband as a replacement. Catherine opposed this. She began fasting, cut her hair short to mar her appearance. Her parents attempted to resist this move, but they were unsuccessful. Her fasting and devotion convinced them to give up and allowed her to live as she please. Despite Catherine’s piety, she did not choose to enter a convent or become a nun. Rather, she joined the Third Order of Saint Dominic which allowed her to associate with the Religious Order while living at home. Catherine developed a habit of giving things away. She continually gave away her family’s food and clothing to people in need. Something changed when she turned 21: she had an experience which she described as her “mystical marriage to Christ.” In her vision, she was told to enter public life to help the poor and sick. She immediately went into public to help people in need. She often visited hospitals, and her activities quickly attracted followers who helped her in her mission to serve the poor and sick. Catherine was given the stigmata, but it was only visible to herself. She was an avid letter-writer: she wrote over 400 letters. She wrote to kings, advocating for peace in their lands, and wrote frequently to the Pope. She had a great love for the Pope but was persistent that he must return to Rome instead of living in Avignon, France. The Pope listened to her. Her letters and her other writings (cf. The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena) were so influential that the Church declared her a Doctor of the Church and one of the Patronesses of Europe. Saint Catherine died on April 29th, 1380 following a prolonged illness.