Author's note: Check the other Saints Commemorated in the Roman Catholic Church for the Month of September.
Birth and early life
St. Catherine, a.k.a. Caterinetta, is the daughter of James Fieschi and Francesca di Negro. Born in Genoa, she was their fifth and last child. She wanted to enter religious life, but then her father died, and she married Julian Adorno at the age of sixteen. Julian was not a faithful husband to Catherine. His extravagance also became a problem, for it led their ten years of marriage to poverty. But in time, Julian was converted and reformed his life. He became a Franciscan tertiary and together with St. Catherine, both led a continent life.
St. Catherine's conversion experience
In 1473 A.D. during Lent, Catherine underwent a conversion experience when she saw a vision of Christ on the cross. She began to live an intense spiritual life. Her follower, Ettore Vernazza, wrote and said that St. Catherine exercised prolonged fasting, enjoyed frequent ecstasies, and lived with a great desire for the Eucharist (which she received every day - a rare privilege during her time).
Assisting the sick and the poor
Since St. Catherine was instrumental in the reform of her husband Julian, she was able to convince him to assist her in her work. In 1479 A.D., both of them moved into the Pammatone Hospital to make themselves more available to assist both the sick and the poor. In 1490 A.D., she became the director of the hospital.
Genoa stricken with a plague
In 1493 A.D., Genoa was stricken with a plague. St. Catherine was very active especially during this time. Because of her contact with the plague-stricken, she almost died. The plague wiped out three quarters of Genoa's residents. St. Catherine was able to recover from the effects of the plague on herself, but she was obliged to resign her position in 1496 A.D., as director of Pammatone Hospital, because of her health. She and her husband Julian continued though to live in the hospital. The following year, her husband Julian died.
The Oratory of Divine Love
St. Catherine met Ettore Vernazza, a wealthy businessman and philantrophist, and together, they were able to form the Oratory of Divine Love, a group of clergy and lay people devoted to achieving a deeper spriritual life through both contemplative prayer and active charity. Vernazza became St. Catherine's follower. It was through the pen of Vernazza that we can read of St. Catherine's intensive spiritual life.
St. Catherine of Genoa's spiritual teachings
Although St. Catherine wrote nothing during her life, her "writings" are from the pen of Vernazza and her confessor, the priest Fr. Cattaneo Marabotta. Both written views of St. Catherine's spiritual teachings reflect on the way of life of a married mystic who was able to combine action and contemplation so effectively. The written works on her spiritual teaching are: "Life", by Vernazza; "Purgation and Purgatory"; and the "Spiritual Dialogue". The latter two writings are outstanding documents in the field of mysticism.
Beatified in 1737 A.D., St. Catherine of Genoa was then canonized by Pope Benedict XIV and added to the Roman Martyrology. The Church celebrates her feast on September 15.
Sources of this blog post:
- Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
- The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, by editor Bernard McGinn
