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ANSWER TO QUIZ
Who is the patron saint of the souls in purgatory?
A saint who was particularly devoted to the holy souls
—and is now considered their patron saint—
is St. Catherine of Genoa.
St. Catherine was born into an aristocratic
Italian family in 1447.
She was a quiet, obedient, devout child who practiced
prayer and penance and had a deep devotion to Jesus’ Passion.
At the age of sixteen, her family arranged a marriage
for her, possibly to end a feud between the two families.
Her husband proved to be faithless, however,
having also a violent temper and spending his money unwisely.
Their married life was miserable.
Catherine did not bear any children,
and for the first five years lived in
“melancholy submission” in her home.
For the next five years, she turned to the world for consolation,
and began to engage in the kind of social activity
expected of her state in life.
This only increased her weariness and depression,
and led to the loss of her religious fervor.
So Catherine prayed earnestly for assistance in her trouble.
Taking the advice of her sister, who was a nun,
Catherine went to confession, and before the sacrament
was begun or completed, had a profound mystical experience
in which she clearly saw the depth of her sinfulness
contrasted with the depth of God’s love.
Catherine renewed her commitment to
rigorous prayer, penance, and works of mercy.
Meanwhile, God continued to favor her with mystical visions.
She experienced within her soul a real purgatory,
and had a deep understanding of what the
Holy Souls experience and suffer there.
She was given profound insights into the relationship
between the Poor Soul and God,
the reasons why they suffer,
and the fact that these Holy Souls willingly
embrace purgatory in order to be made perfectly
pleasing in the sight of their Divine Lover, God Himself.
As for Catherine’s husband, her virtue later
won his conversion and he became a Third Order Franciscan.
Together they cared for the poor and sick in the Genoa hospital.
Click the link below to learn more about St. Catherine:
ST. CATHERINE OF GENOA
There is a sensible view of Purgatory,
tainted by neither childish superstition
nor modern skepticism.
Below is a book with the truth about Purgatory . . .
revealed more than 500 years ago to St. Catherine!
From these holy pages by St. Catherine of Genoa, you'll learn:
- Why it's sensible to believe in the existence of Purgatory
- Why Purgatory is both a sorrowful and a joyful place for a soul to be
- How the purifying fires of Purgatory reflect God's love
- How St. Catherine's vision of Purgatory can help you face the sorrows in your life with greater faith and courage
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