Feast of Saint Catherine of Sienna

"For Heaven's sake, blaspheme not!" said the girl, with an expression of fear.--"God pardon us both! I meant no harm. I speak of our blessed Saint Catherine of Sienna!--may God forgive me that I spoke so lightly, and made you do a great sin and a great blasphemy. This was her nunnery, in which there were twelve nuns and an abbess. My aunt was the abbess, till the heretics turned all adrift.

It is surely good advice not to blaspheme, as the girl in Sir Walter Scott’s “The Abbot” cautions, especially on the Feast of Saint Catherine of Sienna. Catherine is a Doctor of Unity in the Catholic faith, having helped to bring the Papacy back to Rome, after a century in France.  Catherine died at the young age of 33, on March 29, 1380.