Wisdom and Wonder · Week 4 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Catherine of Siena
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
St. Catherine of Siena
A hard century, a firm choice
Catherine Benincasa was born in Siena in blank 1, one of the youngest in a very large family. Her father was a wool dyer. The next year the plague known as the Black Death reached Siena and killed a great many people.
Italy’s cities were often at war with one another. The popes had lived in Avignon, in France, since blank 2, far from Rome.
Catherine’s parents expected her to marry. She chose instead to give her life to God. As a teenager she joined the blank 3 laywomen of Siena, who lived at home and served the poor.
Catherine’s life
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1347 | Write your answer |
| c. 1365 | Write your answer |
| 1374 | Write your answer |
| 1376 | Write your answer |
| 1377 | Write your answer |
| 1378 | Write your answer |
| 1380 | Write your answer |
| 1461 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
What kind of religious life did Catherine choose? Circle one.
- A A nun enclosed in a convent in Rome
- B A Dominican laywoman living at home
- C A hermit alone in the hills of Tuscany
- D An abbess leading a house of sisters
Why is that the right answer?
From a small room to Avignon
After about three years of solitude and prayer, Catherine went out to serve. She nursed the sick, visited blank 4 and made peace between feuding families. A circle of friends and followers gathered around her.
She began dictating letters to leaders across blank 5 and beyond. About 380 survive. She addressed popes with deep respect and affection, and she also told them plainly to reform the clergy and make peace.
In 1376 she went to Avignon and urged Gregory XI to return to blank 6. He did. When rival popes were elected in 1378, she spent her last strength working for the Church’s unity.
Cause and effect
Why did leaders take Catherine’s letters seriously? Circle one.
- A Her family was wealthy and noble
- B She held a high office in Siena
- C She threatened them with armies
- D She was known for prayer and service
Why is that the right answer?
Catherine’s way or the crowd’s way?
Catherine wrote honestly, by name, to the person concerned, and for that person’s good. Sort each online choice. Check one box for each.
| Item | Truth with love | Something else |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging a friend privately about a hurtful post | ||
| Calling someone out publicly to get reactions | ||
| Checking a claim before you share it | ||
| Staying silent in a chat that is mocking someone | ||
| Telling a teacher the truth about what happened | ||
| Posting harsh comments from an anonymous account | ||
| Admitting online that you got something wrong | ||
| Flattering someone so they will like you |
Virtues Catherine lived
For each virtue, write how the saint lived it.
| Virtue | How the saint lived it |
|---|---|
| Fortitude | Write your answer |
| Charity | Write your answer |
| Prudence | Write your answer |
Honored by the Church
What title did Pope Paul VI give Catherine in 1970? Circle one.
- A Doctor of the Church
- B Queen of All Saints
- C Founder of an order
- D Martyr of the faith
Why is that the right answer?
Talk it over
Catherine put her name on hard truths and sent them to the person who needed to hear them. Online it is easy to criticize from a distance or to say nothing at all. What would it take to speak the truth with love in your group chats and feeds?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “The hardest person to be honest with is ... because ...”“Calling someone out is different from Catherine’s way because ...”“One time silence did harm was ...”“A rule I could set for my own posts is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, you are the way, the truth and the life.
Give us courage to speak the truth and love to speak it well.
Guide what we type, post and share.
St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
Catherine had no office, wealth or schooling, and her honest words still moved a pope. Her feast day is April 29.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Catherine of Siena shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Choose one of the three virtue practices and do it every day until next week’s saint.