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Discover the Top 9 Fascinating Fun Facts About St. Catherine of Siena: Insights into the Life of a Remarkable Saint

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Dive into the delightful and fascinating world of St. Catherine of Siena, where surprises and hidden gems await to tickle your curiosity and broaden your knowledge!

1. Holy Bride at Age Seven

When little St. Catherine played a game of "Who Wants to Be a Holy Bride?", she meant business: At the tender age of seven, she made a vow of chastity and dedicated her virginity to Christ, ultimately joining the Dominican Tertiaries despite her parents' matrimonial plans.
Source => catholicnewsagency.com

2. Eucharist-Only Diet

Talk about divine dieting: St. Catherine of Siena managed to pull off the ultimate fasting hack by surviving on nothing but the Holy Eucharist for the last seven years of her life! While eating merely caused her pain and discomfort, St. Catherine's faith-diet kept her energized for her many tasks and accomplishments, and she didn't experience any ill effects from her divine sustenance.
Source => catholicmystics.blogspot.com

3. Gift of Sacred Tears

Crying a river of holy water: St. Catherine of Siena was known for her gift of tears, a rather wet way of expressing her divine emotions. This tearful talent was said to channel the emotional intensity of Jesus himself, as her sacred saltwater symbolized a powerful mix of heartfelt sacrifice and the redeeming blood of Christ.
Source => idlespeculations-terryprest.blogspot.com

4. Genius Without Schooling

Who needs school when you've got friends in high places and the mind of a genius: St. Catherine of Siena, despite never having a formal education, befriended the Pope, became a renowned philosopher and theologian, and even has her own fan club of followers from both genders.
Source => garlickretablos.com

Hide-and-Seek Stigmata

5. Hide-and-Seek Stigmata

Talk about a serious case of "holy hiding"! St. Catherine of Siena played a divine game of hide-and-seek with her stigmata: they were mysteriously invisible during her lifetime, despite her experiencing the pain of Christ's crucifixion wounds. Only after her death did these sacred marks appear, proving her mystical union with Jesus was no laughing matter.
Source => patheos.com

6. Old-School Cool Letter-Writer

Talk about going "old-school cool": In a time when most people would sell their soul for a college degree, St. Catherine of Siena, an uneducated daughter of a dyer, turned into one of the 14th century's greatest letter-writers with her genuinely spiritual, wise, and powerful epistles to people from all walks of life.
Source => domcentral.org

7. Divine Diplomat and Patroness

Move over, Hogwarts: St. Catherine of Siena was a divinely gifted theologian and philosopher without ever setting foot in a formal school! Serious reveal: A 14th-century mystic with a heavenly knack for diplomacy, St. Catherine gained followers through her charisma, became besties with the Pope, and is still remembered today as the patroness of nurses, sick people, and firefighters.
Source => garlickretablos.com

8. Talking Head and Thumb

If a head and a thumb could talk, they'd have a saintly tale to tell: Saint Catherine of Siena's cranial and opposable souvenirs reside in a reliquary at the Basilica San Domenico in Siena, Italy, yet her global fanbase of devoted followers remains undeterred by this limited inventory of relics, flocking to churches dedicated to her across Europe and Latin America, delivering thumbs up for centuries of saintly inspiration.
Source => atlasobscura.com

9. Jesus Puts a Ring on It

Talk about putting a ring on it, am I right? Beyoncé would be proud of St. Catherine of Siena, who managed a divine version of an engagement to remember: During a mystical experience, Jesus himself placed a ring on her finger, symbolizing a spiritual marriage that strengthened her soul and became the rock-solid foundation for her extensive travels and selfless ministries.
Source => christianitytoday.com

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