Catherine of Siena
Catherine of Siena, a medieval saint and Doctor of the Church, was first and foremost an authentic human being who responded to the needs of the church and the world around her. A lay third order Dominican, she lived in her own home amid an atmosphere of exuberant lay spirituality; of emotional preaching by the newly founded mendicants, the Franciscans and Dominicans; at a time when love and service of the neighbor were newly emerging as Christian values. Her Letters, her recorded Prayers, and her major testament, The Dialogue, reveal a woman motivated by a passionate relationship with God, pursuing ever deepening selfknowledge.
Essay Catherine M. Mesade; Prayer by Laurel Jurecki