π Life Timeline
1447
Born in 1447 AD, Genoa, Italy
1447
CATHERINE of GENOA (St) W
1510
CATHERINE of GENOA (St) W
1510
Died β September 15, 1510 AD, Genoa
1867
Canonized β 1867 by Pope Pius IX
β Biography
CATHERINE of GENOA (St) W.
R.M. Sept. 15 1447-1510. Born in Genoa, of the noble Fieschi family, she married Julian Adorno when she was sixteen. She led a life of active charity, devoting herself to the ser- vice of others both at home and in the hospitals and poor quarters of the city. At first her work was made exceedingly difficult by the attitude of her profligate husband, whom she succeeded in convert- ing to better ways. She wrote a treatise on Purgatory and a Dialogue between the soul and the body βtwo outstanding documents of Christian mysticism. Can- onized in 17387. Cf. Att. β Holw. β Baud.
CATHERINE of ALEXANDRIA (St) V.M. R.M. Nov. 25 d. Β’c.810. A maiden martyred at Alex- andria under Maximinus Daza. The legend adds that she argued with fifty pagan phil
π‘ Patronage
Patron of: Widows, married women, the sick, and those seeking deep prayer.
π¬ Words of the Saint
The soul that is in love with God finds the whole world too small.
π Key Facts
Born
1447 AD, Genoa, Italy
Died
September 15, 1510 AD, Genoa
Feast Day
Sep 15
Canonized
1867 by Pope Pius IX
π Legacy
Catherine's 'Treatise on Prayer' is a masterpiece of mystical theology. She proved that married life and motherhood could be paths to the deepest holiness. Her hospital reforms saved countless lives.
π Personal Writings
Read excerpts from the saint's own words β their personal letters, spiritual writings, and teachings.
π Treatise on Purgatory
On Purgatory
Purgatory is the fire of God's love, the purification of the soul, the preparation for heaven. In purgatory, the soul is cleansed of all attachment to sin, all resistance to God, all imperfection. The soul is made pure, made holy, made ready for the beatific vision.
β St. Catherine of Genoa