St. Catherine of Bologna | March 9

St. Catherine of Bologna | March 9

St. Catherine of Bologna (September 8, 1413 – March 9, 1463) came from an upper-class family in Ferrara, a city in Italy, and received an education at the court, where she learned reading, writing, singing and drawing. But despite her advantages, her heart yearned for God.

She joined a group of religious women in Ferrara at the age of 18. Four years later, that same group joined the Poor Clares, an order founded by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. In 1456, she and 15 other sisters were sent to establish a Poor Clare monastery in Florence.

As abbess, St. Catherine of Bologna worked to establish the new community and maintain a semblance of peace throughout. She was a model of piety and reported experiencing miracles and several visions of Christ, and the Virgin Mary.

In 1463, St. Catherine of Bologna became seriously ill, and she passed away. She was buried without a coffin and her body was exhumed 18 days later because of many cures attributed to her at her graveside and the sweet scent coming from her grave. Her body was discovered incorrupt (meaning it was not decaying) and remains so today.