Catherine of Siena is a name that I write with sincere reverence.She is one of the few women ever named “Doctor of the Church.” This blog cannot possibly do justice to all that she accomplished in her mere 33 years of life: all that she overcame, all that she meant to so many people–from cranky old women with cancer that she cared for only to have them shout at her and spread all manner of lies about her, to kings, queens, and popes who actively sought her out for her wisdom and insight into matters both religious and political. She, herself, was selected to mediate the warring disputes between Rome, Florence, and Avignon that returned the pope to Rome and ended decades of death-dealing. She wrote prolifically. She worked among the poor. She did not fear the hatred of her relatives, the swords of armies, the disdain of jealous women, the disregard of sexist males who would not accept a woman’s leadership, or the displeasure of anyone save the God of her conscience.

Please, whether or not you have any use for Christianity at all, do yourself a favor and learn more about this amazing woman. A great place to start is her own treatise (now considered a classic in spirituality), The Dialogue. I personally recommend the edition published by the Paulist Press.