You're listening to the SSPX podcast. We're happy to present True Heroes, a series of

stories of the lives of the saints presented by Father Thomas Tam.

If you are who you should be, you will set the world ablaze, St. Catherine of Siena.

Hello, my friends, and welcome to True heroes. Today we will discuss the life of St. Catherine

of Siena, who was so devoted to Jesus Christ that he gave her the privilege of bearing his wounds on her body.

Let us begin her story.

St. Catherine of Siena was born during the outbreak of the plague in Sienna, Italy,

on March 25th, 1347, so on the Feast of the Annunciation.

She was either the 25th or the 23rd child born to her parents.

I have a couple of sources and one says 23rd, another says 25th.

None of them say 24th, so I don't know what's going on there.

But yes, the 23rd or 25th born of her parents.

Her parents' names were, get ready for this,

Yaacopo and Lapa Benin Casa.

I try to throw on a little bit of an Italian flair there,

if you could tell.

I was also waving my arms around,

but obviously you can't see that.

Half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood.

Catherine herself was a twin, but her sister did not survive infancy.

Sometime later, Catherine's sister, Bonaventura,

died, leaving her husband as a widower.

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