On April 29th, we celebrate Saint Catherine of Siena — mystic and doctor of the Church, patron of nurses, fire prevention, bodily ills, sick people, and miscarriages.
Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, she is revered as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church due to her extensive theological authorship.
St. Catherine was also sought out as a spiritual director. When the fame of her holiness spread, she became the protagonist of an intense activity of spiritual guidance for people from every walk of life.
Ranking high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Catholic Church, St. Catherine of Siena remains a greatly respected figure for her spiritual writings and political boldness to "speak truth to power."
Depending on the lineage or house, St. Catherine of Siena has been associated through synchromatic practices with voodoo lwa Maman Brigitte and the orishas Oya and Oba (Obba).
Feast day: April 29