Saint Catherine of Ricci

Catherine de' Ricci, OP (Italian: Caterina de' Ricci) (23 April 1522 – 2 February 1590), was an Italian Catholic nun in the Third Order of St. Dominic. She is believed to have had miraculous visions and corporeal encounters with Jesus Christ. She is also said to have spontaneously bled with the wounds of the crucified Christ. She is venerated for her mystic visions and is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. She was born Alessandra Lucrezia Romola de' Ricci in the Manelli Palace in Florence to Pier Francesco de' Ricci, of a patrician banking family, and his wife, Caterina Bonza, who died soon after. At age 6 or 7, her father enrolled her in a school run by the Benedictine nuns of San Pietro de Monticelli near their home, where Alessandra's aunt, Luisa de' Ricci, was the abbess. There she developed a lifelong devotion to the Passion of Christ. After a short time outside the monastery, at the age of thirteen she entered the Convent of St Vincent in Prato, Tuscany, a cloistered community of the Third Order of St. Dominic. They were disciples of the noted Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola, who followed the strict regimen of life she desired. In May 1535 she received the religious habit from the hands of her uncle, Timoteo de' Ricci, who was confessor to the convent, and the religious name Catherine, the name of her deceased mother. De' Ricci's novitiate was a time of trial. She is reported to have been experienced visions of Mary and the Christ child. She would experience ecstasies during her routine, which caused her to lose sleep and seem dull during community prayer services, and clumsy dropping plates and food, so much so that the community began to question her competence, if not her sanity. Eventually the other sisters became aware of the spiritual basis for her behavior. By the age of 25 Catherine had been elected prioress. As prioress, de' Ricci developed into an effective and greatly admired administrator.