A Historical Critique of the Selected Letters of St.

Catherine of Siena
ABSTRACT

This paper presents the historical context of the selected letters of St. Catherine of Siena. This
research is qualitative and mainly employs historical criticism which involves content analysis of
the documents and investigate them as to their purpose, circumstance and relevance. Findings
revealed that the letters were written during the time of the absence of the Pope from Italy, the
rebellion of the Tuscan cities, headed by Florence, and the Great Schism which broke forth
under Urban VI. The religious problems that the Roman Catholic Church faced in the 14th
century and in this era are rooted in the same cause: self-love, lack of will and passion to serve,
lack of spiritual knowledge, and corrupt hearts and minds. Hence, the warnings, counsels,
guidance and support the saint gave and showed to the church leaders before can still be of
greater use today. Thus, the selected letters of St. Catherine of Siena exposed the problematic
social, economic, political and religious conditions during her time. The analysis revealed
historical evidences that her letters influenced the decisions of the church authorities whom she
addressed. Lastly, the letters’ intentions when read and applied to the modern religious society
will practically help and enlighten the church leaders in solving the problems that beset the
Roman Catholic Church today. The wisdom in St. Catherine’s letters remain so relevant and
helpful even in these times.

INTRODUCTION

Letter writing in this post-modern era is considered a lost art. It has been replaced by
other hi-tech ways of communicating. But letters during the 14th century were considered the
most important means of communication. Aside from the fact that these letters are considered
primary sources of information, these are historical documents of recognized importance
bearing with them historical context and voices from the past.

Not many letters have had such a great impact during the 14th century Italy as the letters
of a celebrated saint – St. Catherine of Siena. She wrote over 382 letters, the majority written
between 1374 and 1380, addressed to people from all walks of life: friends, family members,
politicians, royalties, disciples, her confessor, and most importantly to popes. St. Catherine
corresponded with everyone from popes and royals to prisoners and peasants. Her writings
were so influential and leaders of the church regularly sought out her wisdom, even though she
was never formally educated and only learned to read and write as an adult.

Given that the saint was not formally educated, she communicated the wisdom
developed through reflection and prayer in a unique style that was not systematic; she did not
set out to create a logical sermon composed according to a form learned during priestly
formation. Rather, her letters are passionate exhortations expressed in spontaneous oral forms
very much her own. As one reads her letters, one can imagine her coming up with images and
metaphors to communicate what she had learned in the depth of her intuitive, spiritual center
(Villegas, 2013).

It is therefore not surprising to note that St. Catherine’s letters are of primary importance.
Being declared a Doctor of the Church, she is a towering figure in the history of Catholicism.
She became Roman Catholicism’s most distinguished doctrinal authorities and became one of
the most influential and popular saints in the Church and the Co-Patroness of Europe (US
Catholic Org., 2016).

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 Thus, in this study, the researcher aimed to investigate St. Catherine’s selected letters
as to their purpose, circumstance and relevance. Specifically, these questions were addressed:
1. What is the historical context of the letters addressed to the leaders of church?
2. What is the relevance of these letters to the present times?

METHOD

This research is qualitative and mainly employed historical criticism which entailed
analysis of the historical documents – conceptually breaking down the content of the author’s
selected letters to arrive at important and relevant information. After analysis of the content,
inferences were made about the messages within the texts, the writer, the audience, and the
time and place of which these letters are part. Sources of data include a book entitled
“Catherine of Siena, Passion for the Truth Compassion for Humanity” annotated, edited and
introduced by Mary O’Driscoll, O.P. (2000 ed.) and online researches and commentaries of
other scholars.

Works Cited

Catherine of Siena, The Dialogue, trans. Suzanne Noffke (Paulist Press, New York, 1980) ISBN
0-8091-2233-2

Dent, J.M. and Dutton, E.P. Saint Catherine of Siena as Seen in Her Letters. London, New
York: www.onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=7403, 1905.
http://www.drawnbylove.com/Scudder%20letters.htm

Hollister, Warren; Judith Bennett (2001). Medieval Europe: A Short History (9 ed.). Boston:
McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. p. 343. ISBN 0-07-234657-4.

Marshall, I.H., “Historical Criticism,” I. Howard Marshall, ed., New Testament Interpretation:
Essays on Principles and Methods, 1977. Carlisle: The Paternoster Press, revised 1979.
Pbk. ISBN: 0853644241. pp.126-138. https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/nt-
interpretation/nti_7_historical-criticism_marshall.pdf

McDermott, Thomas, O.P. Catherine of Siena: spiritual development in her life and
teaching. New York: Paulist Press. (2001). ISBN 0-8091-4547-2.

O’ Driscoll, M. Catherine of Siena, Passion for the Truth Compassion for Humanity, 2000.
United States: New City Press, 202 Cardinal Rd., Hyde Park, NY. Palmquist, M. Content
Analysis. https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~palmquis/courses/content.html

Sister Jeanne Marie, MI.C.M. Tert. Catholicism. Org. Saint Benedict Center, N.H. 2008.
catholicism.org/saint-catherine-of-siena.html

Suzanne Noffke, ed. The Letters of St. Catherine of Siena. Binghamton: Center for Medieval
and Early Renaissance Studies, 1980. State University of New York at Binghamton

Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: a user-friendly guide. New York: Routledge, 2006.
https://www.carleton.edu/departments/ENGL/Alice/CritHist.html

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US Catholic Organization. August 2016, Vol. 81, No. 8, pages 34–37
https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201607/medieval-woman-modern-times-30707

Villegas, D.L. Discernment in Catherine of Siena. Theological Studies 58: 19-38, 2013.
https://www.ajol.info/index.php/actat/article/download/96162/85513

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