Today we turn to one of the most extraordinary saints in the history of the Church: St. Catherine of Siena.
She was not a priest, not a bishop, not a theologian by degree. She was a young laywoman—third order Dominican, mystic, and fearless prophet—raised up by God in one of the darkest hours of the Church.
And she reminds us today: God does not always call the powerful. He calls the faithful.
“Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”
—St. Catherine of Siena
Courage Rooted in Love
In the 14th century, the Church was bleeding from within. The papacy had relocated to Avignon. Scandals and divisions spread like wildfire. Many turned away. Catherine stepped in.
She famously traveled to Avignon and looked Pope Gregory XI in the eye—not with anger, but with burning charity. She loved the Church too much to remain silent.
“Sweet Christ on earth, I speak to you in the name of Christ crucified… Be manly in your decisions, and not fearful or timid!”
—Letter to Pope Gregory XI
She didn’t attack the Pope; she called him higher. Catherine called him to be not just a ruler, but a shepherd. Not just a politician, but a saint.
Prayer, Not Protest
Her strength didn’t come from popular movements or political power. It was born in the Eucharist, in silence, in tears.
She spent countless hours before the Blessed Sacrament, weeping for the sins of the Church, offering herself as a victim for both clergy and lay faithful.
“Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues. I see that the world is rotten because of silence.”
—St. Catherine of Siena
She did not leave the Church. She did not rebel. She remained radically obedient—even during the chaos of the Great Schism.
“Even if the Pope were Satan incarnate, we ought not to raise our heads against him, but calmly lie down to rest on his bosom.”
—Letter 28, to Brother Raimondo
This wasn’t blind submission—it was faith in Christ’s promise to never abandon His Bride.
What She Teaches Us
Catherine’s legacy speaks powerfully to us today, especially as we approach a new papal conclave. She teaches us to:
- Speak the truth with courage—but always with love.
- Intercede for the Church through prayer and sacrifice.
- Remain in the Church, faithful to Christ and to Peter.
“The Devil fears hearts on fire with love of God.”
We live in a time of trial. But so did she. And she shows us how to walk through it—with clarity, conviction, and total trust in Christ.
Let us pray as Catherine did. Let us love the Church as she did.
And as Cardinals prepare for one of the most important conclaves in modern history, let us offer our own prayer and sacrifice, that the will of God be done and that the Church may once again shine with the glory of holiness.
“Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.”
—St. Catherine of Siena