St. Catherine of Siena died on this day in 1380 at the age of 33. At 21, she had a vision of Christ which changed her life. In her vision she was told to help the poor and the sick. She often visited hospitals and homes where the poor and sick were found. Her activities quickly attracted followers who helped her mission to serve the poor and the sick.
She lived in the days of the Avignon Papacy, when the Pope and his staff moved from Rome to Avignon in southern France at the behest of the King of France. She wrote to Pope Gregory XI, respectfully chiding him for leaving Rome and in 1376, at only 29 years-of-age, she visited Avignon to talk with him directly.
Tomorrow is Senior Mass, their last regular school Mass at SJJ. Pray for them at this important time in their lives. Peter Bracho, brother of former SJJ language teacher Laura Bracho is very close to death. He is suffering greatly from COVID, pneumonia, and gangrene. Please pray for Peter in his suffering. “I the Lord am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20, from the Communion Prayer of today’s Fourth Week of Easter Mass) St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us. St. John Berchmans, pray for us. St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us.
“The world tells us to seek success, power, and money; God tells us to seek humility, service, and love.”
“Going out to others in order to reach the fringes of humanity does not mean rushing out aimlessly into the world. Often it is better simply to slow down, to put aside our eagerness in order to see and listen to others, to stop rushing from one thing to another and to remain with someone who has faltered along the way.” – Pope Francis
