If your name happens to be Catherine (or Katherine or Cate or Katy or even Katharine -- like a certain Presiding Bishop of a certain mainline denomination) this is your day. No matter which Catherine emerges victorious -- of Alexandria or of Siena -- you win! Of course after 24 hours one Catherine will be discarded onto the Lent Madness heap of irrelevance. But that's okay because this is your special day!
In yesterday's action, Lydia defeated Moses the Black 60% to 40% and will advance to face the winner of Nicholas Ridley vs. John of the Cross.
And if for some (inexcusable) reason, you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness with Tim and Scott, you can watch it here. Basically we DVR it for you so you can watch in peace without pesky commercial interruptions for saintly products like St. John's Wort or Yves Saint Laurent.
Catherine of Alexandria
Many legends surround the life and death of Catherine of Alexandria. Tradition tells us Catherine was born at the end of the third century to Roman rulers in Alexandria, Egypt. An incredibly beautiful and intelligent woman, with every privilege at her disposal, Catherine excelled in her studies and developed renown for her ability in the arts and sciences, especially philosophy. As a young woman, she converted to Christianity after a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary giving her in mystical marriage to Christ.
Some years later, during the persecution under the Roman Emperor Maxentius, Catherine scolded the vicious ruler for killing Christians and for his own idolatry. In response Maxentius gathered together fifty philosophers to engage her in debate. Impressed by her erudition and the force of her arguments, the philosophers converted to Christianity and were summarily burned alive by the humiliated despot. Maxentius jailed Catherine for her insolence. While she was in jail, Maxentius offered to release Catherine if she would marry him. She refused, claiming that she was married to Christ. Later, Catherine converted many in his household, including his wife. The furious hegemon executed his wife and 200 servants and condemned Catherine to death.
The executioners put her to the spiked wheel, but at her touch the wheel shattered and instead killed many of her assailants. Maxentius commanded his soldiers to behead Catherine. When the blade sliced through her neck, milk, not blood, flowed. Legend has it that her body was taken by angels to the Sacred and Imperial Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount of Sinai, which today is commonly referred to as Saint Catherine’s Monastery. Perhaps not coincidentally, this is the same monastery that until the late nineteenth century housed one of the oldest, complete manuscripts of the Bible, the Codex Sinaiticus.
Saint Catherine of the Wheel, as she is sometimes called, was for centuries an important saint in popular piety. She appeared to Joan of Arc, who believed Catherine had been appointed as her advisor. Today she is seen as a patroness to philosophers, girls, librarians, and ironically, people who work with wheels (such as potters, spinners, and mechanics).
Collect for Catherine of Alexandria
O God, by your Holy Spirit you give to some the word of wisdom, to others the word of knowledge, and to others the word of faith: We praise your Name for the gifts of grace manifested in your servant Catherine, and we pray that your Church may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-- David Creech
Catherine of Siena
Catherine of Siena is one of the foremost mystics, reformers, and politicians of all saintly history. Born Caterina di Giacomo di Benincasa on March 25, 1347, she was five or six years old when she had her first vision and seven when she vowed to give her life to Christ.
But before she could take any vows, her older sister, Bonaventura, died in childbirth, and her parents wanted her to marry the widower. Catherine said no. She stopped eating and chopped off her hair (in order to thwart her mother’s wishes that she look attractive in order to catch a husband). Successfully staving off marriage, Catherine basically formed a one-woman Dominican order, living an active, prayerful life devoted to quiet service to the poor, while still living with her family.
This irritated her parents, but Catherine was immovable, especially after receiving an encouraging vision from Saint Dominic. Eventually, she prevailed on her parents to let her join a tertiary order of the Dominicans; she remained in quiet contemplation and service to the local community until she was about 21.
Then, there was a turning point. Catherine had a vision of a “mystical marriage” to Christ, and an overpowering sense of God’s love and closeness to all creation. This vision compelled her to join public life and leave her life of solitude.
No longer content to live quietly at home, Catherine became more involved in aiding people, not just through charity but through politics and advocacy. She gained a reputation for wisdom, fairness, and mercy, and her opinion was widely sought. She travelled around northern Italy, advocating for clerical reform and renewal of the church in every place, asking that people themselves, as well as the institution, renew the Body of Christ through the “total love of God.” She organized against the anti-pope—an illegitimately elected rival pope. Catherine urged Pope Gregory XI not to give in to schism but to move the papacy back to Rome from Avignon. She badgered Gregory with letters until he eventually gave in. We might say the squeaky wheel gets the grease, if this didn’t appear to be an endorsement of Catherine of Alexandria.
Pope Gregory XI came to rely on Catherine so much that he sent her as a peace emissary to the warring states of Florence and Rome. Gregory unexpectedly died soon after Catherine arrived in Rome, and riots broke out. In the ensuing chaos, Catherine was nearly assassinated. But she was undeterred and achieved a peace deal a few months later.
The new Roman pope was a fan as well, and Urban VI soon brought her to the papal court in Rome to be his personal adviser. She helped calm the waters during the Western Schism—a split within the Roman church with rival popes claiming to be the true leader. She argued for the legitimacy of Urban in Rome until her death at age thirty-three of a stroke.
Collect for Catherine of Siena
Everlasting God, you so kindled the flame of holy love in the heart of blessed Catherine of Siena, as she meditated on the passion of your Son our Savior, that she devoted her life to the poor and the sick, and to the peace and unity of the Church: Grant that we also may share in the mystery of Christ’s death, and rejoice in the revelation of his glory; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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184 comments on “Catherine of Alexandria vs. Catherine of Siena”
I love the way Catherine of Alexandria used her gift - learning - to Gods use after her conversion. And that she never used violence, but fought for herself. It suggests that faith is the weapon, and on it's own can make us strong. As a scholar (and sometime potter) I have to vote for her. (And as a historian, I don't worry about the legend - what's remembered and put into the story is a teaching, a reminder about what faith means.)
My church, St Paul's in Alexandria VA, has a stain glass window above the cross of a a Catherine Wheel, just guess who I had to vote for!
Catherine of Sienna - what a gutsy activist! She walked fearlessly into the middle of the mayhem surrounding the Pope and made those bad boys behave. I would vote for her anyway, but I was privileged to visit one of her, um, burial sites (is there a special word for "just her head is there in a shrine"?) in Sienna. The rest of her is interred in Rome. It seems that she was so beloved by both Siennans and Romans that they couldn't decide who would have the honor of receiving her body.
Catherine of Alexandria must have existed; elsewise, we contend that Joan of Arc conversed with imaginary beings. Catherine of Alexandria inspires with her consecration to a greater ideal. Go, Catherine pg the Wheel!
Catherine of Alexandria stood up to the power and held her own, for a time. She converted many to Christianity and fought bravely to the end, how could you not vote for that? I'll tell you how. Catherine of Siena also stood up to the power (even though it was her parents and not the emperor), she did God's work among the downtrodden and helped mend the schism in the Church. Another tough decision, good job SEC.
If I had been K of A and all those people had died because/after I converted them I would have reconsidered my strategy... I vote for K of S.
"Reconsidered my strategy"? How do you convert someone in a time of persecution and yet see to it that they don't become martyrs?
I see an unspoken contest here between two schools for girls in New York City: Chapin, whose seal is the spiked wheel of Catherine of Egypt, and the Dominican Academy.
Tough choice! I taught myself how to read when I was three years old and have been reading ever since. So for my love of books and the fact that she was martyred for her faith, I voted for Catherine of Alexandria!
Alexandria is beautiful and an apt converter
Thanks for the corrected ballot. At early morn, when I had come to the place where the names were to have been reposed, with my eyes barely opened I had suspected that tomorrow's candidates had attempted a proleptic act of voter suppression, in the quite reasonable fear that either of them would eventually lose to either of the Cats. Glad to see now that they have been turned back and that the time-space continuum has been restored to its intelligently designed balance.
Married to a Kate, this is a conundrum. But my Kate being a librarian by profession, and amateur potter by avocation, the not clearly goes to Catherine of Alexandria, otherwise known as Catherine of the Wacky Wheel
make that "nod", not "not"
We visited Catherine of Siena's home in, well, Siena, last year. It was wild to stand in this now very ornately decorated space, and to see the cell she stayed in.
Catherine of Siena would have made a great pope!
Catherine of Alexandria gets my vote.
I changed my mind just before I voted -- I should have stayed with CofS who I decided on two weeks before Ash Thursday, oh well... what is that old saw about changing horses in the middle of the stream? LOL
Both ladies are interesting, but I must offer my vote to Catherine of Alexandria as she struck a chord in me, or was it a wheel.....
As a Roman Catholic Lay Dominican (formerly called tertiary), a preacher, and one's whose collie is named Siena, GO CATHERINE of SIENA.
I am so heartened to see non-RC Christians voting for her. (Wasn't sure if her work with Popes would be a turn off. Did I mention I preach as an ecumenical preacher at 2 Episcopal churches? :-). )
The bio left out her working with ppl who had the plague--although the collect hints at this.
CATHERINE OF SIENA for the WIN!
Why do I have to go to another site to vote...The FM site that is sent me via email is not active...have to click around until I get the colorful LM site..weird!
Gotta go with C of A, I'm a librarian who collects pottery
Easy choice.
Though I bought St Catherine of Siena's 'Dialogues' in Siena, and think them superb, she has far too many facts. Plenty of biography, but not enough legends. So much tedious realism, in fact, that she could be a CEO or a 'role model' or something else sadly earnest. Maybe a patron saint of scheming church politicians. No story, no meaning, no point.
St Catherine of Alexandria, in contrast, has an extraordinary number of legends even for a saint of the C3. Eg the bland example above-- 'As a young woman, she converted to Christianity after a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary giving her in mystical marriage to Christ.' A poster hereabouts considers even that one to be so bad that he calls it a 'myth.' High praise indeed. Story, meaning, point-- St C of A appeals in an alexandrine way to the spiritual imagination. Did we think that this was about anything else? St Catherine of Alexandria.
I'm a little afraid of what could happen to me if I voted against Catherine of Alexandria.
As a Catherine who at a very early age was given an icon of Catherine of Siena, I must vote for C of S. My life has not resembled hers, however, having neither visions of a mystical marriage with Christ nor causing any riots of which I am aware. I have not been a personal advisor to any popes ... happy voting, everyone!
I felt I had no choice but to vote for Catherine.
I see what you did there Leroy.
In the Diocese of Indianapolis we vote regularly for two Bishop "Kates"...spellings are different but both reflect the strength of today's candidates. Having been fortunate to visit Siena twice, I admit to seeking out the the head of Catherine and insites into her story. Difficult not to vote for a potter, but I cast a vote for Catherine of Siena
Patron of philosophers and students, who spoke, along with Ss Michael & Margaret to St Jean d'Arc. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and co-patron of St Clement's, Philadelphia. St Catherine of Alexandria it must be.
For those grousing about the hagiographies of her life, let me quote Joseph Campbell, "Myth is much more important and true than history. History is just journalism and you know how reliable that is."
Love that quote of Joseph Campbell's! Thanks for posting it.
Still not quite sure which Catherine gets my vote. Both were strong women and good role models.
Just a friendly reminder to the SEC that anyone I vote for is in the absence of him who should be in the bracket, namely the wonderful, inspiring, not to mention famous FRED MCFEELEY ROGERS. And no I have no intention of knocking it off. Bet you thought I had. Not a chance, ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! 🙂
I second your motion. Somewhere on the Eastern Seaboard of New England there is an Episcopal Church with a stained glass window of him. It is the parish where he and his wife worshipped when they were at their summer home. The window is near the pew where they sat.
Go Mister Rogers Go!
Yes! Mr. Rogers!
I just put the documentary, "Mr Rogers and Me," on hold at the library. Perhaps someone will send a copy to the SEC...
Kathryn is an alternative spelling as in my oldest daughter. I had to vote for the one who is patron saint for mechanics.
My sister is Catherine, and my grandmother was Catherine, so this is a fun contest for me. Since both my parents were librarians, I have to go with Catherine of Alexandria....I also love the church by that name in Manzanita, Or...
Catherine of Alexandria because her story inspires me. Win or lose, her story reveals truths in me I am better for:)
If you've ever been to Siena, you'll vote for Catherine of Siena. And perhaps, you've seen Catherine's head there (an object, not a location.)