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St. Catherine
of Genoa ( 1447 - 1510) was born in an prestigious Italian family, which
boasted two popes in its lineage: Innocent IV and Adrian V.
Catherine was forced to marry at the age of sixteen to a violent man.
After ten years of a miserable marriage, Catherine suddenly entered an
extraordinary mystical state while kneeling in a confessional, in which
she was able to receive numerous divine revelations. This state lasted
until her death.
Catherine
shared freely her mystical states and revelations with those close to her,
and also described them in great details in her two most famous works,
The Spiritual Dialogue,
and the Treatise on Purgatory.
Her husband later repented and became a most devoted helper in her
mission. She spent most of her religious life caring for the sick and the poor of
Genoa, regardless of fatigue or danger.
  
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