Saint Catherine was born in 1347 in Siena, the daughter of virtuous and devout parents. For us Catholics, she was favored by God with extraordinary graces from a young age and always held a deep love for prayer and the things of God. At the age of seven, she consecrated her virginity to God through a private vow. When she was twelve, her mother and sister tried to persuade her to consider marriage, encouraging her to pay more attention to her appearance. To please them, she dressed in finery and adorned herself with fashionable jewels of the time. However, she soon repented of this vanity.
Her family deemed solitary life unsuitable for marriage, so they began to frustrate her devotions by depriving her of her small chamber or cell where she spent much of her time in solitude and prayer. They assigned her various hard tasks to distract her, but she endured all with sweetness and patience. The Lord taught her to find another kind of solitude in her heart, where, amidst all her occupations, she always considered herself alone with God, and where no tribulation could enter.
Later on, her father finally approved of her devotion and all her pious desires. At the age of fifteen, she generously assisted the poor, served the sick, and comforted the afflicted and prisoners. She continued on the path of humility, obedience, and self-denial. In the midst of her sufferings, her constant prayer was that these sufferings could serve to expiate her faults and purify her heart.
