St. Catherine of Sienna Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

St. Catherine of Sienna - Essay Example Catherine was the youngest of the 25 children of Giacomo and Lapa. While Catherine was growing up, she suddenly had a vision while she was walking home with her brother from a visit to the home of her married sister. Catherine saw in the sky a vision of Jesus Christ seated with the apostles Peter, Paul ,and John. After having experienced this vision, Catherine decided to devout her life to prayer and solitude. Her father, Giacomo, took notice of the child’s love for prayer and gave her a special room in their house where she could spend time for meditation and prayer. By the time that she was twelve, her mother kept reminding her to pay attention to her appearance so that she would be able to attract the right man to be her husband. At first, Catherine obeyed but declared later on that she would not marry. In spite of her family’s attempts to convince Catherine to change her mind, her father finally gave up and allowed his child to continue devoting herself to prayer, m editation and fasting. At the age of 18, Catherine was allowed to wear the black habit of a Dominican tertiary. She did not speak to many people except to her confessor and the only place she visited was the nearby church of St. Dominic. It was only after her last vision of Christ that Catherine went out of her room and began to mingle with the people around her. As a Dominican tertiary, she helped the sick and started to attract a good number of followers.