St. Catherine of Siena (1347-80) truly lived out her own words: “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!” Although women of her time were believed inferior to their male peers, St. Catherine in 1376 bravely journeyed to directly confront Pope Gregory XI and persuaded him to return from Avignon, France to live in the Vatican in Rome. She similarly pushed for reform of the Church and also provided spiritual guidance for others throughout her life. For her work and her unique insights, St. Catherine was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970. St. Catherine along with St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Hildegard of Bingen are the only female Doctors of the Church. While these women all significantly contributed to the Christian faith, unfortunately not many Christians are familiar with their lives and their works.

Each month we will have a special saint that we are learning about in the classroom. This page will share that saint information with you. Together with the class, we will upload our favorite pictures of the saint and include a description of what we are learning.