15 Days of Prayer with Saint Catherine of Siena

Catherine of Siena can be considered an "extreme" saint. In their introduction, van der Plancke and Knockaert tell us that she experienced her first vision when she was 6. After becoming a Dominican tertiary at age 16, she spent three years in seclusion, praying, fasting, and practicing "extreme austerities." Her seclusion and later life were marked by visions, ecstasies, and familiar conversations with Christ. Catherine suffered physical torment related to self punishment and insufficient food and sleep. In 1375 she received the stigmata, visible to outsiders only after her death. By 1380, she could no longer take food or water. She died at the age of 32 after suffering a stroke. But, awe-inspiring as they are, these details are not the main point of this book. As in the rest of this series, the purpose of the "companion" saint to help us on our journey to "a place where God dwells." To that end, the authors present and reflect on Catherine's writings on such topics as self-knowledge, Christ as a bridge to heaven, misery and mercy, and love of the Church. She was a model of love and charity for all and worked tirelessly to bring peace in the face of political upheaval in the Church and society. The authors describe her as a bold and devoted young woman burdened by "the triple handicap" of her illiteracy, lay status, and gender, "in a time when not one of these characteristics was valued." With its guidelines for use, short meditations, and reflection questions, 15 Days of Prayer with Catherine of Siena is a rich resource for individuals and small groups.

Before dying of aneroxia in 1380 the famed Dominican tertiary forged an extraordinary legend. She was in her time a woman of substantial political clout. In 1376 she helped urge Pope Gregory XI, then living ignominously at Avignon, to Return to Rome. In where later, and through the strength of her voice and conviction, and amid turbulence. She counceled the Pope Urban VI through a wicked Church Schism, and through the dissipation of Urban's fanatical reign. A young charismatic woman in a world being destroyed by men. (...) in '15 days of Prayer with St Catherine of Siena' by Chantal van der Plamke and Andre Knockaert, I find a new saint that I barely knew before. This book is a little jewel for the inner life. Full of wisdom always hinting at Catherine's favorite urges: Truth and Humility. It has a wonderful preface deliniating Catherine's life. A very original course. The book is part of a series that includes St Teresa of Avila, etc.