Setting the World on Fire: The Brief, Astonishing Life of St. Catherine of Siena

Shelley Emling

Macmillan, Apr 5, 2016 - Biography & Autobiography - 226 pages

One of only two patron saints of Italy, the other being St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine was ahead of her time. As a political powerhouse in late 14th century Europe, a time of war, social unrest and one of the worst natural disasters of all time--the plague, she worked for peace between Christians while campaigning for a holy crusade against Muslims. She was illiterate but grew into a great writer by dictating to assistants. She was frail and punished herself mercilessly, often starving herself, while offering moral guidance and inspiration to kings, queens and popes.

It's easy to see why feminists through the years have sought to claim the patronage of St. Catherine. From her refusal to marry to her assertion that her physical appearance was of no importance, the famous Saint is ripe for modern interpretation. She was a peacemaker during Siena's revolution of 1368, sometimes addressing thousands of people in squares and streets; she convinced Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy to Rome at a time when the Catholic Church was unraveling.

How did this girl, the second-youngest of 25 children of a middle-class dyer, grow to become one of the most beloved spiritual figures of all time, a theological giant to rank alongside the likes of Thomas Aquinas? In Setting the World on Fire, Emling gives an intimate portrayal of this fascinating and revolutionary woman.

Contents

• Two A First Glimpse of Christ: 19
• Three Kiss Me with a Kiss of Your Mouth: 35
• Four Just What the Times Needed: 53
• Seven The Spilling of Blood: 105
• Eight The Move to Rome: 121
• Nine Brilliant Work: 139
• Ten A Turn for the Worse: 157
• Eleven Spiritual Anxieties: 175
• Twelve The End of a Saintly Existence: 193
• Epilogue A Womans Legacy: 209
• Selected Bibliography: 219

About the author

Shelley Emling is a senior editor at The Huffington Post and, as a journalist for more than twenty years, her work, including science articles, has previously appeared in such outlets as The New York Times, Fortune, Slate, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Boston Globe, The Huffington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and FoxNews.com. She covered Europe for six years for Cox Newspapers, a chain of 17 daily newspapers across the United States that includes The Atlanta Journal Constitution. She launched one of the first blogs for The International Herald Tribune, called 'Raising the Roof.' She lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Setting the World on Fire: The Brief, Astonishing Life of St. Catherine of Siena
• Author: Shelley Emling
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Macmillan, 2016
• ISBN: 113727980X, 9781137279804
• Length: 226 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / General; Biography & Autobiography / Historical; Biography & Autobiography / Religious; Biography & Autobiography / Women; History / Europe / Italy; Religion / Christianity / Saints & Sainthood; Social Science / Women's Studies