Catherine Benincasa was raised as one of the younger of many siblings in a wealthy, pious home in Italy during the mid-1300s (Keifer). Half of Catherine’s siblings, including her twin sister, died of the Black Death, but Catherine was healthy and happy. Her parents called her Euphrosyne, which is Greek for “joyous” (Did You Know?). Catherine desired an intimate relationship with Jesus from an early childhood age and earnestly devoted herself to obeying and worshipping her Lord. She contributed many great achievements to the church and for Christians, including her Dialog. “Catherine believed it was her duty to reform the church, to evangelize, and to comfort the sick, poor, and condemned” (Marshall). She is revered for her devotion to prayer,
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She was so adamant in this that she refused to marry when her parents were encouraging it at age 12. To establish her sincerity, she cut off her hair (Did You Know?). Her parents eventually complied with her wishes and requested that she be able to join the Third Order of St. Dominic, referred to as a Dominican Tertiary. She was allowed to join at age 16, which was a great honor for such a young girl. The Third Order allowed for her to still live at home with her family and still participate and direct formal religious activities (Marshall). After she joined, she devoted herself to prayer and fasting, only spoke to her confessor, and only left her room to attend church for three years (Did You Know?). She later became a nurse in city hospitals and tended to those others rejected, such as the poor and those afflicted with leprosy and advanced cancer (Kiefer). Her humble service earned her the title of Patron Saint of Nurses. She served Siena for years with a growing desire to evangelize. In 1366, Catherine had a vision that Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and angels appeared to her. In her vision, Mary held Catherine’s hand out to Jesus, who placed a ring on her finger that only Catherine could see. The ring “served as the sign that her period of solitude was now complete and her faith could overcome all temptations” (Did You
She was so adamant in this that she refused to marry when her parents were encouraging it at age 12. To establish her sincerity, she cut off her hair (Did You Know?). Her parents eventually complied with her wishes and requested that she be able to join the Third Order of St. Dominic, referred to as a Dominican Tertiary. She was allowed to join at age 16, which was a great honor for such a young girl. The Third Order allowed for her to still live at home with her family and still participate and direct formal religious activities (Marshall). After she joined, she devoted herself to prayer and fasting, only spoke to her confessor, and only left her room to attend church for three years (Did You Know?). She later became a nurse in city hospitals and tended to those others rejected, such as the poor and those afflicted with leprosy and advanced cancer (Kiefer). Her humble service earned her the title of Patron Saint of Nurses. She served Siena for years with a growing desire to evangelize. In 1366, Catherine had a vision that Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and angels appeared to her. In her vision, Mary held Catherine’s hand out to Jesus, who placed a ring on her finger that only Catherine could see. The ring “served as the sign that her period of solitude was now complete and her faith could overcome all temptations” (Did You