St. Catherine of Bologna
1413-1463
Feast day: March 9
Patronage: Artists
St. Catherine of Bologna was an Italian nun and artist born as Catherine de' Vigri on September 8, 1413, in Bologna, Italy.
She was the member of an aristocratic family and the daughter of a diplomat to the Marquis of Ferrara. Catherine received a wonderful education while being raised at the court of the Duke of Ferrara as the companion to the Marquis’ daughter, Princess Margarita.
After Margarita married, Catherine felt a calling to the religious life and left the court.
In 1426, she entered the convent of Corpus Domini at Ferrara and became a Franciscan Tertiary.
Catherine was determined to live a life of perfection and was admired by her companions for her holiness.
In 1432, Catherine and other young women of Ferrara founded a monastery of the Order of Poor Clares.
The reputation of the Community for its holiness and austerity became widespread.
In 1456, Catherine returned to Bologna with her superiors and the governors requested she found a second monastery of the same Order and be the Abbess of the convent.
Catherine continued to paint and write beautiful spiritual guides and poetry. She wrote the Treatise on the 7 Spiritual Weapons Necessary for Spiritual Warfare. And, her painting of St. Ursula remains on display in a Venice gallery.
Throughout her life, Catherine experienced visions of both Jesus Christ and Satan. In one instance, she had the baby Jesus placed in her arms by the Blessed Virgin Mary.
During the Lenten season of 1463, Catherine became seriously ill, and on March 9th she passed away.
She was buried without a coffin and her body was exhumed eighteen days later because of many cures attributed to her at her graveside and the sweet scent coming from her grave. Her body was discovered incorrupt and remains so today.
Catherine is dressed in her religious habit seated upright on a golden throne behind glass in the chapel of the Poor Clares in Bologna.
Saint Catherine was beatified in 1524 by Pope Clement VII and canonized on May 22, 1712, by Pope Clement XI. She is the patron saint of artists, the liberal arts, against temptations and of Bologna.
Her feast day is celebrated on March 9.
Homily: Spiritual Weaponry of St. Catherine of Bologna - Published on May 9, 2017
St. Catherine of Bologna teaches seven principles of spiritual combat, which she calls "weapons." Among them, mistrust of self and absolute trust in Christ is one that inherently fosters the fundamental virtue of humility and identification in Christ.
Papal Audience - Pope Benedict XVI - 12-29-2010
BENEDICT XVI
GENERAL AUDIENCE
Paul VI Hall
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
St Catherine of Bologna :7 Spiritual Weapons - Published on 22 Nov 2016
One can think of the spiritual weapons as weapons not only for the battles of faith, but as weapons for the battles of depression: to intend solicitude and not be misled by the vagaries of mood, to keep steady hold on one’s life by not giving into the swings of feeling, to rest in the love of God, however inexperienced, to hold to the humanity and suffering of Christ as something close and not far away, to remember that death will come in its own sweet time without any need to hurry it along, to avoid the vain pleasures of dissolving troubles in chemicals, to keep passages of Scripture alive in one’s heart so they are available in time of need. What Catherine reveals to chronically depressed people, is that the interior voices that rage might be stilled by the interior voices that occasionally console. They might be able to choose interior voices, not always, but occasionally, if they don’t let the angry voices go on for too long before attending to them, pretending that they are not there, that they are not hearing, “Wicked, sinful, toad talking, worthless nothing, less than horrible … ” as a constant background to their every thought. With divine hope, they can follow the examples of St. Catherine and other holy men and women who have kept themselves faithful in the observances of their monastic lives, rising with their confreres, praying on the days when prayer is impossible and hard, making works of charity a habit of the body if not of the soul and persevering in spite of doubt and suffering, knowing that, whatever the final and scientific explanation of depression, one can honor one’s own life and live it out in faith and holiness. St. Catherine of Bologna, Virgin (Patroness of Artists) Feast - March 9th Born in 1413, Catherine de Vigri was the daughter of a diplomatic agent of the Marquis of Ferrara. At the age of eleven, she was appointed maid of honor to the daughter of the Marquis and shared her training and education. When the daughter eventually married, she wanted Catherine to remain in her service, but Catherine left the court and became a Franciscan Tertiary at the age of fourteen. Catherine had determined to live a life of perfection, and was admired by her companions for her holiness. Eventually her Community became part of the Poor Clares. She soon began to experience visions of Christ and Satan, and wrote of her experiences, one of which occurred one Christmas. Through her efforts with Pope Nicholas V, the Poor Clare convent at Ferrara erected an enclosure, and Catherine was appointed Superioress. The reputation of the Community for its holiness and austerity became widespread. She then was appointed Superioress of a new convent in Bologna. In Lent of 1463, Catherine became seriously ill, and she died on March 9th. Buried without a coffin, her body was exhumed eighteen days later because of cures attributed to her and also because of the sweet scent coming from her grave. Her body was found to be in-corrupt and remains so today in the Church of the Poor Clare convent in Bologna. She was canonized in 1712.
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