In the meanwhile the Great Schism had broken out in the Church. From the outset Catherine enthusiastically adhered to the Roman claimant, Urban VI, who in November, 1378, summoned her to Rome. In the Eternal City she spent what remained of her life, working strenuously for the reformation of the Church, serving the destitute and afflicted, and dispatching eloquent letters in behalf of Urban to high and low in all directions. Her strength was rapidly being consumed; she besought her Divine Bridegroom to let her bear the punishment for all the sins of the world, and to receive the sacrifice of her body for the unity and renovation of the Church; at last it seemed to her that the Bark of Peter was laid upon her shoulders, and that it was crushing her to death with its weight. After a prolonged and mysterious agony of three months, endured by her with supreme exultation and delight, from Sexagesima Sunday until the Sunday before the Ascension, she died. Her last political work, accomplished practically from her death-bed, was the reconciliation of Pope Urban VI with the Roman Republic (1380).

Among Catherine's principal followers were Fra Raimondo delle Vigne, of Capua (d. 1399), her confessor [in old usage, a saint who was not martyred, or who suffered for the faith without being killed] and biographer, afterwards General of the Dominicans, and Stefano di Corrado Maconi (d. 1424), who had been one of her secretaries, and became Prior General of the Carthusians [a strict order of hermit-monks founded by St. Bruno in 1084]. Raimondo's book, the "Legend", was finished in 1395. A second life of her, the "Supplement", was written a few years later by another of her associates, Fra Tomaso Caffarini (d. 1434), who also composed the "Minor Legend", which was translated into Italian by Stefano Maconi. Between 1411 and 1413 the depositions of the surviving witnesses of her life and work were collected at Venice, to form the famous "Process". Catherine was canonized by Pius II in 1461. The emblems by which she is known in Christian art are the lily and book, the crown of thorns, or sometimes a heart—referring to the legend of her having changed hearts with Christ. Her principal feast is on the 30th of April, but it is popularly celebrated in Siena on the Sunday following. The feast of her Espousals is kept on the Thursday of the carnival.

The works of St. Catherine of Siena rank among the classics of the Italian language, written in the beautiful Tuscan vernacular of the fourteenth century. Notwithstanding the existence of many excellent manuscripts, the printed editions present the text in a frequently mutilated and most unsatisfactory condition. Her writings consist of

The "Dialogue" especially, which treats of the whole spiritual life of man in the form of a series of colloquies between the Eternal Father and the human soul (represented by Catherine herself), is the mystical counterpart in prose of Dante's "Divina Commedia". A smaller work in the dialogue form, the "Treatise on Consummate Perfection", is also ascribed to her, but is probably spurious. It is impossible in a few words to give an adequate conception of the manifold character and contents of the "Letters", which are the most complete expression of Catherine's many-sided personality. While those addressed to popes and sovereigns, rulers of republics and leaders of armies, are documents of priceless value to students of history, many of those written to private citizens, men and women in the cloister or in the world, are as fresh and illuminating, as wise and practical in their advice and guidance for the devout Catholic today as they were for those who sought her counsel while she lived. Others, again, lead the reader to mystical heights of contemplation, a rarefied atmosphere of sanctity in which only the few privileged spirits can hope to dwell. The key-note to Catherine's teaching is that man, whether in the cloister or in the world, must ever abide in the cell of self-knowledge, which is the stable in which the traveller through time to eternity must be born again.

Processus contestationum super sanctitate et doctrina beatae Catharinae de Senis, in MARTENE AND DURAND, Veterum Scriptorum et Monumentorum Amplissima Collectio (Paris, 1729), VI; GIGLI, L'opere della serafica Santa Caterina da Siena (Siena and Lucca, 1707-54); TOMMASEO, Le Lettere di S. Caterina da Siena (Florence, 1860); Italian translations of the Legend and the Supplement are included in the first and fifth volumes of GIGLI's Edition; important portions of the Process are still left unpublished in manuscripts in the Biblioteca Comunale of Siena and the Biblioteca Casanatense at Rome.

Baring-Gould’s sources: Roman and Dominican Martyrologies. Canonized by Pius II., in 1461, and her day appointed for April 29th; but on the revision of the Breviary by Clement VIII., the festival was transferred to April 30th. Authority: — Her life written by her confessor, Fr. Raymond of Capua, Master of the Order of Preachers.!

In the street del’Oca, at Sienna, is a house of humble appearance, at the side of which is a little chapel that attracts many pilgrims. This house in the beginning of the 14th century was the habitation of a dyer named Giacomo di Benincasa. The dyer’s wife was named Lapa Piagenti, a pious woman, by whom he became the father of a large family, amongst other children, of Catharine, the subject of this memoir. At the age of five this child manifested a great devotion to Our Lady, and would kneel on each step of the stairs in her home, and recite on each a “Hail Mary.” When six years old she was returning from the house of one of her married sisters, when she beheld a vision of our Lord in glory seated in the midst of his Apostles. Her little brother, Stephen, who was with her, dragged at her hand, and asked her to come along. Then starting as out of sleep, she exclaimed, “ Oh, brother ! If you saw what I see, you would never care to leave this spot.”

From the moment the child’s vocation was fixed she devoted herself entirely to the life of prayer and contemplation. When of a marriageable age she cut off all her beautiful hair and veiled her head, to the great annoyance of her parents, who desired to see her married and settled. They sent her to the kitchen, and made her work there, and deprived her of her little room, in which she had lived as in a convent cell.

She remained patiently submissive, but was not shaken in her resolve to enter religion. At last her father yielded to her determination, and allowed her to assume the habit of the Sisters of Penitence, in connexion with the Order of S. Dominic. As she entered on womanhood she was assailed with the most horribly impure thoughts and images, which her imagination presented to her. The agony she suffered was great, as she wrestled against her temptations to yield to these horrible thoughts. Once, after such a trial, she was conscious of the presence of our Blessed Lord. # tfi £ Catharine.

44 O my Saviour, my Lord, why didst Thou forsake me T she cried. 44 My child,” He answered, “ I have been with thee through all” “What, my Lord 1 in the midst of these vile thoughts and foul imaginations 1” 44 My child, yes, I was in thy heart all the while, for thy will did not consent to the thoughts and images presented to thee.” She suffered from ingratitude in the exercise of charity. She was charged with attendance on a woman, whose breast was consumed by cancer; and the unhappycreature, so far from feeling thankful to her nurse, poured out on her all the spite of a naturally vicious tongue, rendered more irritable by pain. She met with similar treatment from others.

But however loathsome the disease, and ungrateful the patient, Catharine was the same, gentle and forgiving, serving Jesus Christ in the person of the poor, looking for no return save His love. And He whom she served filled her mind so completely that she saw Him in frequent visions. On one occasion He appeared to her holding a crown of pure gold in one hand, and a crown of thorns in the other, and asked her which she would choose. Without a moment’s hesitation, she stretched out her hand to the thorny diadem, and placed it on her head. On another occasion, she had given her only remaining ornament, a little silver cross, to a beggar, and at night she dreamt that Christ stood before her, and raising the silver cross to her eyes, said that on the Last Day He would shew that cross she had given Him to angels and men. In another vision He appeared to her with His heart in His hand, and He placed it against her side, saying, 44 1 exchange My heart with thine.” This strange and somewhat questionable vision is sufficient to teach us that too great caution cannot be observed in admitting the visions of ecstatic saints. 1 Some of the visions are far more startling, some are peculiarly offensive. Catharine played an important part in the public affairs of her age. A league had been formed against the Holy See, at the head of which were the people of Florence. Catharine, charged with negociating peace, visited Pope Gregory XI., at Avignon, and was effectual in restoring the pope to Rome. Gregory was anxious to return, but feared displeasing his court He consulted Catharine, who answered, “ Do as you have promised God.” The pope, who had not told any one that he had in fact made a vow to return to Rome, saw that this must | have been revealed to Catharine. When she left Avignon,; she wrote him several letters to urge him to execute his i promise; and he followed her counsel on the 13th of September, 1376. After having pacified the Church, she j continued her project of pacifying Italy; she went to ! Florence, then a scene of murders and confiscations, and, j at the risk of her life, strove to calm the violence of party strife; and in 1378 she succeeded in reconciling Florence to the Holy See. But the same year saw great calamities befall the Church, to the great grief of the saint. On the death of Gregory XI., Urban VI. was elected, but the French cardinals declared his election void, and named another, Clement VII., and retired with him to Avignon. Catharine wrote to the cardinals remonstrating; she wrote to the kings and queens of Europe, to obtain their adhesion to Urban VI.; she encouraged the latter at the same time that she rebuked him for his harshness. Urban sent for her to Rome that he might have her at hand to advise him; but her life was closing, her infirmities increased, and she prepared for death. The closing scene was one of struggle. For a long time she lay evidently engaged in self-communing, and self-accusation, her face expressing the anguish of her soul. Once she flung her hands up and cried, “Holy Godl I have sinned, have mercy on me l" Aptu jo.] Catharine. 381 Then for a while was silent, and then broke out again in prayers for forgiveness. This was followed by silence, her face continuing to be clouded and troubled; but all at once she exclaimed, “ No, I have not sought vainglory, but only the glory and praise of God 1 ” and her face cleared, and serenity returned to her soul.

She died in Rome, and was buried in the Church of the Minerva. Her head was carried to Sienna, and some bones to Paris, but these latter were lost in the Revolution In Art she appears with the crown of thorns on her head, or receiving a ring from Christ, or exchanging hearts with Our Lord.