SHE was born of noble parentage at Bologna, in 1413. Early ardent
sentiments of piety seemed to have prevented in her the use of reason.
{560} At twelve years of age she was placed in quality of a young maid
of honor in the family of the princess Margaret, daughter to Nicholas of
Est, marquis of Ferrara. Two years after, upon the marriage of that
princess, she found means to recover her liberty, and entered herself in
a community of devout ladies of the Third Order of St. Francis, at
Ferrara, who soon after formed themselves into a regular monastery, and
adopted the austere rule of St. Clare. A new nunnery of Poor Clares
being founded at Bologna, St. Catherine was chosen first prioress, and
sent thither by Leonarda, abbess of the monastery of Corpus Christi, in
which she had made her religions profession at Ferrara. Catherine's
incredible zeal and solitude for the souls of sinners made her pour
forth prayers and tears, almost without intermission, for their
salvation. She always spoke to God, or of God, and bore the most severe
interior trials with an heroic patience and cheerfulness. She looked
upon it as the greatest honor to be in any thing the servant of the
spouses of Christ, and desired to be despised by all, and to serve all
in the meanest employments. She was favored with the gifts of miracles
and prophecy: but said she had been sometimes deceived by the devil. She
died on the 9th of March, 1453, in the fiftieth year of her age. Her
body is still entire, and shown in the church of her convent through
bars and glass, sitting richly covered, but the hands, face, and feet
naked. It was seen and described by Henschenius, Lassels, and other
travellers. Her name was inserted in the Roman Martyrology by Clement
VIII., in 1592. The solemnity of her canonization was performed by
Clement XI., though the bull was only published by Benedict XIII., in
1724.[1] A book of her revelations was printed at Bologna, in 1511. She
also left notes in her prayer-book of certain singular favors which she
had received from God. These revelations were published and received
their dress from another hand, which circumstance is often as great a
disadvantage in such works as if an illiterate and bold transcriber were
to copy, from a single defective manuscript, Lycophron, or some other
obscure author, which he did not understand. St. Catherine wrote some
treatises in Italian, others in Latin, in which language she was well
skilled. The most famous of her works is the book entitled, On the Seven
Spiritual Arms. See her life in Bollandus, written by F. Paleotti, fifty
years after her death.
Footnotes:
1. Bullar. Roman. t. 13, p. 87.