Catherine Benincasa was the youngest of twenty-five children of a dyer of Siena. At six years of age, she had a remarkable vision that decided her life’s vocation. Walking home from a visit, she stopped on the road and gazed upward, oblivious to everything around her. “I beheld our Lord seated in glory with St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. John.” She went on to say later that the Savior smiled on her and blessed her.

From then on, Catherine spent m…