Our Patron Saint

Our Parish’s Patroness: St. Catherine of Genoa

St. Catharine’s is dedicated to St. Catherine of Genoa. Catarinetta Fiesca was born to a noble and wealthy family in Italy in 1447. As a child, she turned from worldly things and devoted herself to God. When she was 16, her parents arranged her marriage to Guiliano Adorno, the son of a rival family, as an act of diplomacy.

Her husband turned out to be ill-tempered and unfaithful, leading her to enter the worldly society of Genoa. Eventually, divine grace enlightened Catherine to the danger to her soul, so she gave herself up to a life of rigorous penance and prayer. She began caring for the sick in a Genoese hospital and became known for her tireless dedication to the sick and poor.

From visions she received, Catherine described the sufferings of holy souls in Purgatory in a treatise full of heavenly wisdom. Worn out in body and purified in soul, she died on September 15, 1510. May our patroness, be our example as we strive to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God.

If you would like to learn more about St. Catherine of Genoa, you are welcome to borrow The Spiritual Doctrine of Saint Catherine of Genoa, compiled by her confessor, Don Cattaneo Marabotto, from our parish library. Many other books on saints and sainthood are also available in our library.