Looking back, Catherine of Siena has been a subtle guiding force in my life. It began in middle school, where my daily landscape was defined by the prominent Saint Catherine of Siena Parish. In my adult life, I strolled around Rome and stumbled upon her marble tomb one evening beneath the main altar of the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. While her body rests in Rome, her head was later transported to her hometown of Siena, where it is preserved as a relic in the Basilica of San Domenico.

She also reminded me of her presence when I saw the white marble Monumento di Santa Caterina da Siena in Rome, created by Francesco Messina in 1962. This statue is located in Piazza Pia near Castel Sant’Angelo.

Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic and Doctor of the Church, was a force to be reckoned with. What has she taught me?

Here are two lessons!

First, Catherine’s popular quote, “Be who you are, and you will set the world ablaze,” encourages us to embrace our unique calling to impact the world. Catherine wants us to live with authentic faith and not be afraid of life.

Second, faith requires boldness. If you look closely at the Monumento di Santa Caterina da Siena, you can see that Catherine is bent over.

She is hovering over the basilica dome of Saint Peter. The artist conveys that she is protecting the papacy and the Church. As a woman in the 14th-century, a time of corruption, she challenged religious and political leaders, including the Pope, to act with integrity. She called the pope and the clergy to holiness.

After meeting with Catherine in Florence, Pope Urban turned to his advisors in amazement. He said, “This little woman confounds us … For while we are afraid, she stands without fear, and by her persuasions, she gives us courage.”

When writing to Pope Gregory IX during the Avignon crisis, Catherine called him out on a private vow he had made to return the papacy to Rome, a private revelation known only to the pope and no one else.

As a saint, she lived her life rooted in Christ, whose presence eclipsed everything else. In our own day, may we aspire to such holiness.