Catherine of Siena An Italian Mystic and Pious Laywoman

Saint Catherine of Siena (March 25, 1347–April 29, 1380) was an ascetic, mystic, activist, author, and holy woman of the Catholic Church. Hardly an anchoress, her assertive and confrontational letters to bishops and popes, as well as her commitment to direct service to the sick and the poor, made Catherine a powerful role model for a more worldly and active spirituality.