Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Search the Poetry Chaikhana site:

This page has been updated.
View the new page here.

Christian : Catholic

14th Century

Italy
(Europe)

Catherine of Siena

Timeline (1347 - 1380)

Poems by Catherine of Siena
Books - Links

Catherine of Siena, Catherine of Siena poetry, Christian, Christian poetry, Catholic poetry, poetry, poetry

Daily Poem Email

Support
the Poetry Chaikhana

Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Thank you!	Click here
Click here	A small amount each month makes a big difference. Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $5/mo.
Click here	Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo.

Catherine was the 25th child of a wool dyer in northern Italy. Intensely devout, even as a young child, she started having mystical experiences when she was only 6.

When Catherine was a teenager, her mother was overly concerned with Catherine's looks in order to win the girl a husband. In protest, the young Catherine cut off her hair. Her father, however, respected Catherine's spiritual nature and gave her a room of her own for prayer and meditation.

She became a Dominican tertiary when she was 16, spending the next three years in seclusion, prayer, and austerity. During this time, Catherine continued to have visions of Christ, Mary, and the saints.

Word spread of her visions and devotion, and soon a group of followers gathered around her -- men and women, even priests.

Her letters, mostly for spiritual instruction and encouragement of her followers, gradually became more political. She saw how games of power added to the suffering in the world and increasingly fragmented the Catholic Church. Saints, then as now, were expected to remain aloof from worldly affairs and to not meddle in politics. Because of Catherine's outspoken political views she was accused of unorthodoxy, though she was eventually cleared of all charges.

Although she never had much formal education, Catherine became one of the most respected theologians of her day, as well as a powerful political force.

Catherine's letters, and her "Dialog" are considered among the most brilliant writings in the Catholic Church.

In 1378, a political upheaval began, splitting the Catholic Church between two, then three, popes. Catherine died while attempting to reconcile the various factions and bring the pope from Avignon back to Rome.

Five years before her death, Catherine received the Stigmata.

Poems by Catherine of Siena

We were enclosed (from Prayer 20)

Recommended Books

	Catherine of Siena : (Outstanding Christian Thinkers), by Giuliana Cavallini Amazon.com
	Catherine of Siena - Passion for the Truth, Compassion for Humanity: Selected Spiritual Writings, by Catherine of Siena / Edited by Mary O'Driscoll Amazon.com
	Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue: (Classics of Western Spirituality), by Catherine of Siena / Edited by Suzanne Noffke Amazon.com
	For Lovers of God Everywhere: Poems of the Christian Mystics, by Roger Housden Amazon.com
	A Life of Total Prayer: Selected Writings of Catherine of Siena, by K Beasley Topliffe Amazon.com
	Little Talks with God: (Christian Classics), by Catherine of Siena Amazon.com
	Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, Translated by Daniel Ladinsky Amazon.com
	My Nature is Fire: Saint Catherine of Siena, by Catherine M. Meade Amazon.com
	The Prayers of Catherine of Siena, by Suzanne Noffke Amazon.com
	Speaking with Authority: Catherine of Siena and the Voices of Women Today, by Mary Catherine Hilkert Amazon.com
	Things Visible and Invisible: Images in the Spirituality of St. Catherine of Siena, by Giuliana Cavallini Amazon.com
	Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women, Edited by Jane Hirshfield Amazon.com

Related Links:

	Christian Classics Etherial Library: St. Catherine of Siena http://www.ccel.org/c/catherine/ The Dialogs of Catherine of Siena in PDF format. Some links to articles about her, as well.

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Catherine of Siena

Daily Poem Email

Support the Poetry Chaikhana

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Support
the Poetry Chaikhana