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 Saint Catherine of Siena: 5th Centenary of Canonization Scott 335-337 (1962) April 29 is the Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena. She is one of the outstanding figures in the history of Catholicism. Her diplomatic efforts (rare for a woman at the time she lived) had a decisive influence on the history of the papacy, both in her advocacy for the return of the papacy to Rome from Avignon and her attempts to stabilize the papacy in the years thereafter. She also influenced the Catholic faith and literature through her extensive writings. The stamps shown above were issued in 1962 to commemorate the fifth centenary of her canonization. Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa was born on March 25, 1347, one of twenty or more children born to a Sienese dyer. From a young age, she was devoted to a life of prayer and penance. She refused to consider marriage (against the wishes of her parents) and for a time lived in solitude. She would go on to join the "mantellates", a group of pious women (primarily widows) devoted to Dominican spirituality. This group eventually formalized as the Third Order of the Dominicans. Her role as a “diplomat” is best remembered by her campaign to return the papacy to Rome, following its relocation to Avignon in 1309. She influenced Pope Gregory XI through a series of letters, and in 1376 he left Avignon for Rome. Following the pope's death in 1378, the Church slipped into the Great Schism of the West, resulting in at least three popes in conflict with each other. Catherine wrote many letters promoting obedience to Pope Urban VI and to defend what she called the "vessel of the Church". It would not be until 1417 before the schism was resolved. Catherine of Siena is also remembered as a prominent figure in the literature of Italy during the Middle Ages. She is remembered for her “Dialogues”, as well as hundreds of letters and dozens of prayers she composed during her lifetime. Historian David Farmer writes that Catherine called for: “reform and repentance through a renewal of total love of God…[and her] personal holiness…was centered on Christ crucified, seen as the supreme sign of God’s love for man.”Around the year 1375, she received the stigmata, as illustrated by the wounds on her hands shown on the stamps above. Catherine of Siena died on 29 April 1380. Devotion to her developed rapidly after her death. She was canonized by Pope Pius II 1461 and was declared a patron saint of Rome in 1866 by Pope Pius IX. She was named a patron saint of Italy (together with Saint Francis of Assisi) in 1939 by Pope Pius XII. In 1970, she became the second woman declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI, and in 1999 Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Patron Saint of Europe.  "Return of Pope Gregory XI to Rome from Avignon" by Giorgio Vasari From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain In addition to the stamps for her canonization, Catherine of Siena is shown on the se-tenant stamps issued in 1977 to celebrate the return of the papacy to Rome from Avignon. The fresco by Giorgio Vasari, shown above, is located at the Vatican’s Sala Regia, the entrance hall to the Sistine Chapel. It depicts Catherine, her finger crooked, leading Pope Gregory and the papal party to Old St. Peter’s Basilica. This mostly imaginary scene was reproduced on the Vatican City stamps shown below. Her finger is preserved in a reliquary at the Church of St. Dominic in Siena and is traditionally displayed on her feast day.  600th Anniversary of Pope Gregory XI's Return from Avignon Scott 614a (1977) REFERENCES: |
