St. Catherine of Siena

Abstract

In this article, the author shows how Catherine of Siena, a mystic who lived in Italy for thirty-three years in the second part of the fourteenth century, known for ecstasies and revelations, put discretion (and prudence, its synonym), the leading virtue in the moral life, at the core of her spirituality, thus becoming a real lover of the truth and a teacher of true freedom. The article contains bibliographical references for the reader’s further study of the writings (Dialogue, Letters, and Prayers) linked to this formidable figure, who was canonized in 1461 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970. Catherine’s teaching, firmly anchored in what the Church and her great Doctors have always taught, remains to this day a rich treasure for spiritual growth.