How Did St. Catherine Bejeweled Ring

Saint Catherine is important to Christianity, because she is credited with bringing over two-hundred soldiers and members of the emperor 's family, along with fifty pagan philosophers, to Christ. She was sentenced to die by the spiked wheel, but when she touched it, it shattered, and she was then beheaded. The life of Saint Catherine teaches us that pursuing Christ may not bring riches or earthly honors, but it will bring Heavenly riches, and she is a symbol of perseverance and good.

St. Catherine of Siena lived a meaningful life that changed the way Catholics lived. She was born in Siena, Italy March 25th 1347 during the outbreak of the plague. During this time even the nobles were unable to question the teachings of the Church allowing and the Pope to maintain a position of power over the kingdom. Catherine’s teachings, reached the ‘highest levels of both civil and church politics, she was a very compassionate individual who only saw the good in people. She often helped people who had been neglected from treatment by others. Catherine left us with over three hundred and eighty letters to various people, and several written prayers.

Her father James, who was a successful businessman who had acquired considerable real estate and was a practising catholic and man of deep faith passed away when she was very young. However his strong faith servilely impacted her. His inspiring example lead Catherine to persist being a Catholic her entire life. Which meant going against all the pressures and resisting or the criticism. Catherine 's mother lacked her husbands depth of faith and was much more interested in her social status within Dublin society than her religion. It was her father who provided her with the first model of service to the poor through his involvement with those in his own community. The second death of her parent forced into becoming independant, and growing up much quicker then she would have hoped. However again this has shaped the way Catherine was, and built her strong and caring character. Looking for god in this instance help Catherine gain strength to carry on to inspire and help others along the way. “Do not put your trust in any human being, but place all your confidence in God.”(Catherine McAuley 49). Catherine was influence by religion from a very young age, which has shown significantly throughout her life. Her fathers presence in her life at a young age was still so impactful that she carried out his religion and pushed through all other temptations to convert.

Against her father’s wishes, Teresa ran away to become a nun of the Carmelite Order. Although the convent was crowded, she started right away teaching people the power of mental prayer. She did not just teach women, as nuns often did, but men as well. She did not want to entertain people; instead she wanted to change people’s lives. “She guided nuns not just through strict disciplines, but also through the power of love, and common sense” (Pettinger, 2010). She had a heart

She was admitted to take communion on Christmas day, “since Catherine appeared to be an exceptional case…” Catherine’s initiation into Catholicism was a rapid process and she continued to be skilled her faith for the rest of her life. This was contrary to what the Jesuit priests had in mind for their conversion of the Mohawks. As far as they had considered, “‘savages’ and ‘saints’ belonged to different contexts.” When converting the Mohawks, the Jesuits had no intentions of possibly finding a future saint in their midst. The categories were completely separate. It was only later in Catherine’s life that the members of her community began to recognize that she “…possessed extraordinary spiritual powers and people began seeking her out.” While she was not extremely popular and died mostly in solitude, the story of her piety became known throughout the community. The Jesuits, who had believed in the separation between the Natives and true religious piety, were forced to reconsider their interpretations of Catherine’s life and her religious devotion. Eventually, this was cumulate in the writings about her life and the process of her canonization.

Since going against her mothers wishes of her 23rd daughter, St Catherine was left alone after the demands of her father to do what she grew up believing in. St Catherine was given a room to pray and meditate by her parents and from there spent three years of her life

Catherine sought Christ's hand in marriage and appealed to the Virgin Mary to grant her this connection. She prayed, “O most blessed and holy virgin…I pray to you that out of your ineffable goodness…you'll deign to grant me this great grace ¾ to give me as a Husband Him whom I desire with all the power of my soul, your most holy son, our one Lord Jesus Christ; and I promise Him and you that I will never choose myself any other husband, and will always do all I can to keep my virginity unspotted.” (qtd. in Raymond of Capua 31). In order to preserve her virginity, she once wished to take the habit of the Order of the Preaching Friars based on a story she once heard about a woman pretending to be a man and becoming a monk in order to avoid marriage (Gardner 5).

During the time, Joan of Arc started to have mystical visions that encouraged her to lead a pious life. Over time these visions became more vivid, with the presence of St. Michael and St. Catherine assigning her as the savior of France and encouraging her to search for an audience with Charles and ask permission to expel the English and make him the rightful king.

The best gift that anyone can ask for in life is, to have a good and spiritual mother, and Catherine was blessed with this gift. From childhood, Catherine was very spiritual and followed the Bible and set Jesus Christ’s teachings for her guidance in life. Catherine had an exceptional relationship with her mother in every stage of her life and she had a major contribution to Catherine’s

Multiple eyewitness accounts indicate that she convinced Charles by telling him in detail about his private prayer he made to god on November 1st. Charles wanted Joan to be examined and evaluated by a group of theologians, and so she was sent to Poitiers. They questioned her for 3 weeks before she was approved. The way she was able to hold her own against the theologians earned her a reputation as “another Saint Catherine came down to Earth”, and soon

paved the way for religious freedom. She was a great leader in the cause for

I believe one reason for this was simply the willingness of Catherine to obey the prompting of the Lord. She was so eager to follow the calling of God on her life, even if it meant risking her health, breaking away from the church of her family, and completely going against the social norms for women in her day. That is a quality that few people in her day and in ours posses, and I think that is and integral reason for why God was able to use her so powerfully. Another reason I believe Catherine and The Salvation Army’s work was so successful was owing to the fact that the social reform and charitable ministry to the poor was so needed at that time. I think God was looking for someone who would care for people’s bodies and physical wellbeing as well as their spiritual wellbeing. I think God was looking for someone who wasn’t afraid to do what it would take to see a visible change in the

After the passing of her mother, she moved in with her Protestant relatives and became friends with the Callaghans. She served as a household manager and companion for Mrs. Callaghan. After Mr. Callaghan passed away, he left Catherine the estate, leaving her a considerable fortune. Little did he know that Catherine was going to change the lives of many with her inheritance.

The people saw a painting of Mary as a path of communication. The people of Siena, now visually inspired to pray for the well-being and peace of the city, were ecstatic at the sight of the finished altarpiece.

There are many people in this world that we consider great humanitarians. Mother Teresa was a unique individual that stood out of the crowd because of her involvement in helping the sick, poor and dying. She spent everyday of her adulthood caring for people that were in need by setting up the Missionary of Charity along with many homes for the people she cared for. Mother Teresa won many awards throughout her lifetime for her dedication to care for people in need. It is no wonder that Mother Teresa won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and is considered a saint.