Life & Achievments

Catherine di Benincasa, now St Catherine of Siena, was born on 25^th March of 1347 in Siena, Italy to a very large, lower middle-class family. Her father was Giacomo di Benincasa (worked as a wool-dyer) and her mother was Lapa di Benincasa (daughter of a poet).

From early childhood, Catherine experienced spiritual visions. At the age of 6, she began experiencing visions of guardian angels, at 7 years of age, Catherine sanctified her virginity to Christ. When Catherine was 16 years, she became a part of the Dominican Tertiary (an order founded by St Dominic) and lived in a little room in her father’s house where she transformed the life of the anchorites of the desert. The anchorites of the desert was were someone of religious faith would seal themselves into small rooms, cells or even caves, to worship God through prayer.

During this time, Catherine continued to receive visions by Christ, Mary, saints and angles. After 3 years, Catherine rejoined her family and formed a spiritual fellowship between disciples of both men and women as she had visions of hell, Torment, and Heaven. Catherine received a Divine command to leave the little room and enter public life were she would communicate with others and live out the actions of Christ by serving the needy.

   This image shows Jesus, Mary and angles
   appearing to St Catherine in a vision.