St. Catherine was born on March 25, 1347 in Siena, Italy. When she was a young girl, she began to see visions that she believed were from God. So, when she was seven years old, she pledged her self to God, and when she was 17, she became a nun. In 1366, Catherine began to tend to the ill, especially the ones with horrible infectious diseases. She also served the poor, and was always happy, even though she occasionly starved herself to be closer to Christ.
In 1370, Catherine received a vision of Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell, that told her to go into public life. So, Catherine began doing accomplishments for the world, like trying to reform the clergy and the Papacy's states, trying to restore peace to Italy, and trying to unite all Christians. Sometime after 1375, Catherine was sent on a mission by the Pope to keep Pisa and Lucca's neutrality. Then, in June 1376, Catherine became the ambassador of the Florentines in Avignon. She tried to make peace and failed, but she did convince the Pope to return to Rome.
In 1377, Catherine learned the skill of writing, for she had always depended on her "secretaries" to accomplish that task for her. Then, in 1378, she was sent once more on a peace mission to Florence. This time she succeeded, although an attempt was made on her life while she was there.
In November 1378, Catherine was summoned by the Roman claimant Urban VI to work towards the Catholic church's reformation. Then, in 1380, she created a reconciliation between Pope Urban VI and the Roman Republic. However, she died soon after on April 29, 1380 in Rome. The many works that she completed, including "Dialogue", around 400 letters, and a series of "Prayers", are now classics of Italian literature.
