SAINT CATHERINE DE RICCI,
Virgin and Mystic
FEAST DAY: FEBRUARY 13TH
CANONIZED A SAINT: In 1747 by Pope
Benedict XIV
PATRONAGE: Gravely Ill
OUTLINE OF TEACHING
Born in 1522, Saint Catherine came from a well
known merchant family in Florence, Italy. She was
raised by her pious step-mother, her own mother
having died when she was a young girl. Catherine entered religious life as a Third
Order Dominican nun at a young age and suffered greatly at the hands of her
Sisters, jealous of her holiness. Saint Catherine soon began to experience various
mystical experiences, including the reenactment of the events of the Passion of
Christ every Thursday afternoon through late Friday afternoon, complete with the
stigmata. Saint Catherine also experienced what has been termed a “mystical
marriage” with Christ as well as bi-location with other saints in Rome. Saint
Catherine died in 1590 at the age of sixty-eight and is buried in the convent where
she lived for fifty-five years.
SCRIPTURE READING
A reading from the Holy Apostle Paul to the Colossians
Even now I find my joy in the suffering I endure for you. In my own flesh I fill up
what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of his body, the church.
~Colossians 1: 24
PRAYER
Lord,
hear the prayers of those who recall the devoted life of
the virgin Saint Catherine.
Guide us on our way and help us to grow
in love and devotion as long as we live.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever
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SAINT CATHERINE DE RICCI,
VIRGIN AND MYSTIC
INTRODUCTION
Throughout the history of the church, there have been those who have had such a
deep, intimate union with Christ, through meditation on his passion or more
specifically on his crucifixion that they exhibit characteristics beyond explaination.
Many have received inner locutions, such as Saint Maria Faustina or the stigmata,
such as Saint Francis of Assisi or Transverberation of the heart as is the case with
Saint Teresa of Avila. Other such examples might include, ecstasies and levitations,
such as found in the life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino (all of whom can be found on
the DTS website). Those who have had such powerful experiences of Christ, who
display inexplicable characteristics, have often been called, by the church,
“mystics.” Initially, the church has always viewed such experiences with the raised
eyebrows of suspicion. Yet, once investigations have been engaged and the
authenticity confirmed, the church then recognizes that God, once again has blessed
the faithful with yet another insight into the mystery of God and his love for his
people. Saint Catherine dei Ricci, although not as well known as the above
mentioned saints is unique in the mystical experiences that she encountered over a
twelve year period in her life. Here is the powerful story of a true mystic who has a
great deal to teach about the passion of Christ.
HOLINESS AT AN EARLY AGE
Our saint was born in Florence, Italy on April 23, 1522 and was given the name
Alessandra at her baptism. Alessandra’s mother died when she was a young girl.
Her father, Pier Francesco dei Ricci, was a member of an old and distinguished
family of merchants and bankers, who married a pious woman, named Fiammetta
da Diacceto, who raised Alessandra with care and devotion. Fiammetta noticed
early on the exceptional holiness and life of prayer displayed by Alessandra, who
desired to enter a religious convent. Although her father was initially against his
daughter entering a convent at such a young age (Alessandra was thirteen years
old), he eventually relented.
DOMINICAN CONVENT
Alessandra was determined to find a convent that lived a strict life of prayer and
penance. Initially, she was disappointed at what she found as many houses had
grown lax in their devotion. She eventually decided upon a Dominican convent
dedicated to Saint Vincent in Prato, Italy. She entered the novitiate as a Third
Order Dominican (members of Third Orders usually lived in the world, while some,
such as Alessandra lived in a convent) in 1535 and was clothed in the Dominican
habit at the age of thirteen. Alessandra’s period of formation was very difficult,
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mostly at the hands of those in her own community, many of whom could not
believe that such a young girl could exhibit such holiness. She made her profession
in 1536, taking the name, Catherine. Through her humility and constancy,
Catherine was able to win over the hearts of her Sisters. She rose quickly in the
ranks of the Convent of Saint Vincent as she was first involved with the formation of
new recruits and then became sub prioress and later prioress (head of the convent),
all while Catherine was still very young.
MYSTERICAL EXPERIENCES
When Catherine was not yet twenty years old, incredible mystical experiences
began to take place. From noon on Thursday, until 4:00 PM on Friday, Catherine
fell into a state of ecstasy, whereby her body would go through consistent, detailed
motions reenacting the passion and crucifixion of Jesus. Although Catherine was
unconscious through the twenty eight hour period, her body went through all that
Jesus endured, including the agony in the garden, his arrest, the scourging at the
pillar, crowning of thorns, etc. She even bore the stigmata, the wounds of Christ in
her body, which according to eye witnesses changed from open wounds to closed
wounds during this period and at other times. These events went on for a total of
twelve years and caused great disruption to the life of prayer and contemplation of
the convent. Curious people would flock to the convent to witness these amazing
events in the life of Catherine. While in ecstasy Jesus would speak through her to
the other Sisters in the house. He would teach them such detailed insights into the
spiritual life, which could never have come from Catherine herself, as she had not
received any formal theological training.
MYSTICAL MARRIAGE
On Easter Sunday in the year 1542, it is believed that Jesus appeared to
Catherine in the most radiant light imaginable, taking from his own finger a
jeweled, gold ring, placing it on her ring finger on her left hand with these words;
“My daughter, receive this ring as pledge and proof that thou dost now, and ever shalt,
belong to me.” In Catherine’s vision, the ring was gold with a large diamond on it.
With the exception of three older Sisters who were allowed to see the ring as
Catherine described, the other Sisters could only see a red, swollen mark on her
finger, where the ring was claimed to be. Numerous tests were conducted on her
ring finger and it was found that the red, swollen marks were authentic and in no
way were produced artificially by Catherine or anyone else. In 1740, the artist,
Pierre Subleyras captured beautifully in his painting the event of the mystical
marriage of Saint Catherine dei Ricci.
MYSTICAL FRIENDSHIPS
As if the above sighted events were not enough, there is yet one more example of
the incredible experiences in the life of Saint Catherine. During her life, Catherine’s
contemporaries in the spiritual world were Saints Charles Borromeo, Philip Neri
and Mary Magdalene de Pazzi. She never met any of these future saints in person,
yet corresponded with Saints Philip and Mary Magdalene de Pazzi through letters.
Catherine even appeared to Saint Philip Neri and talked to him in Rome, while still
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in her convent in Prato. This occurrence is known as bi-location, the ability to be in
two or more places at the same time, yet another mystical experience that often
occurred in the lives of many saints.
PRAYERS ANSWERED
Always living in humility, Catherine became painfully aware of the difficulties
her mystical experiences were visiting upon the other Sisters of the convent of which
she was now in charge of. At her request, the Sisters began to pray that God would
no longer permit these weekly mystical encounters to come upon their prioress, and
that there would be an end to the constant flow of curious visitors to the convent.
Eventually, God granted their request and after twelve years, Catherine no longer
fell into these ecstatic encounters. Once the mystical encounters had ended,
Catherine spent the remainder of her life in the obscurity that she had always
sought after from her earliest years; a life of penance and prayer. Catherine died on
February 2, 1590 after a lengthy illness. She is buried at the convent of Saint
Vincent, which a long time ago, was renamed in her honor.
READING
A reading from the writings of Saint Catherine de Ricci, virgin
Keep on conforming your will to God’s. You know that our coming into and
departing from this world has nothing to do with our will and knowledge, but
depends on the will of the all-powerful God, and you know too that no one can
oppose his holy will. So it would be a foolish man who wanted to oppose one who
can annihilate us in an instant, just as fire in an instant melts wax.
Indeed it would be a fault not to place our will inwardly in agreement with his or
to become utterly downcast in times – or almost always – we feel we have been
struck where we are most sensitive and where it most hurts, so that our sensibility is
forced to feel resentful. We cannot entirely escape such a reaction, but we can fight
it down, and overcome it with reason, the power which must look to God in
everything, thinking how much he loved his creatures, for whom he did not spare
himself, but came to live among the hardships of this world and bore such a bitter
death, as we see in these holy days.
So we may and must hope that is someone is taken from the world it is for our
salvation, both of the one who dies and of those who are left. And above all we
should see that this has nothing to do with our convenience down here; indeed
someone’s death often appears in our eyes as the ruin of his family. God knows this,
for he is infinite wisdom and cannot be mistaken, so it’s clear that he has far more
noble aims: the salvation of souls. And we, if we want to be Christians and
members of Jesus Christ, are ourselves, too obliged to love and desire the salvation
of the soul more than any other created thing.
And it’s in this way that our will comes to be conformed to God’s: the senses are
overcome, reason becomes victorious, and our heart casts itself on God. He, when
he sees that our disposition is good and right, comes with his help, with which all
works together to the good, in those matters where the loss of someone seems only to
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bring misfortune. Moreover there is great merit in submitting to him willingly for
love of him.
POINTS TO PONDER
1.) What sort of role the death of Catherine’s mother may have played in her
life as well as the love and example of her step-mother
2.) Catherine enters the convent at a very young age and suffers humiliations at
the hands of the other Sisters out of their own jealousy.
3.) Catherine rose to power, if you will, within the convent very quickly.
4.) The many mystical experiences Catherine experienced, such as reenacting
the passion of Christ every Thursday – Friday.
5.) The mystical marriage Catherine had with Christ as well as her ability to
visit others in other locations.
6.) Catherine’s prayer as well as the prayer of the other Sisters to have the
mystical experiences come to an end for the good of the convent.
SOURCES USED
1.) Lives of the Saints – Alban Butler (Vol. II) (Thomas More Publishing –
Allen, Texas – First Published in 1756 and ©1956)
2.) St. Catherine dei Ricci – Selected Letters – Domenico Di Agresti, Editor,
Jennifer Petri, Translator (Dominican Sources – Oxford, England - ©1985)
3.) Unpublished Source Material
4.) Voices of the Saints – Bert Ghezzi (Doubleday, New York - ©2000)
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