"He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined.
Leave it all to Him...and you will find yourself entirely." -St. Katherine of Siena
Saint Katherine of Siena was born the daughter of humble Italian weavers in 1347. As a child, she loved to pray and even had visions of angels. Katherine made a vow to dedicate her life to Christ. At the age of 15, she entered the Third Order of Saint Dominic. Katherine remained in her father's shop, where she served people with joy and love every day. At home, Katherine prayed and enjoyed God's presence and his love.
After some time, Our Lord told Katherine to travel through Italy and to bring His people back to obedience to the Pope. Through her love and teaching, God brough many people close to His Son Jesus and the Catholic faith. Through Katherine's prayers and work, Pope Gregory XI returned from France to Rome, and she encouraged him to help bring peace to the people of Italy.
God gave Katherine many spiritual gifts. She worked miracles and guided many people through her words and deeds. Katherine died at the age of 33. She was cannonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II and on October 4, 1970, Pope Paul VI declared Saint Katherine of Siena to be a Doctor, or True Teacher, of the Church. St. Katherine of Siena's feast day is April 29 and she is the patroness of fire prevention, purity, bodily illness, nurses, and Italy.
THE HISTORY OF SAINT KATHERINE OF SIENA SCHOOL
Parish was established on June 19, 1922 by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to help fill the need of the growing population in Northeast Philadelphia. Our school was established in 1938, when the Sisters of the Sacred Heart took our students into the Eden Hall Church. On January 5, 1941, the cornerstone of our first school building, a two story structure on Convent Lane, was built by Cardinal Dougherty.
In September 1961, our current school building opened its doors for the first time. All of our students had finally attended school on Parish property for the first time in its history. In September of 1970, the addition of a second floor to the school was completed. Since that time, our school has advanced in many ways as our society has changed. We are now equipped with transportable laptops, smartboards in every classroom, wireless internet, Chromebooks, iPads, and a recently refurbished computer lab. Our CYO has grown rapidly and now includes seven sports.
As the world evolves, so do we at Saint Katherine of Siena School. We are dedicated to academic excellence here, but most importantly, Christ is at our center; we are a bonded community of faith.
Our school, Saint Katherine of Siena, is uniquely named in honor of two saints. We honor both St. Catherine of Siena and St. Katharine Drexel (who was not yet canonized a saint when our school was named) by placing a “K” in place of the “C” in the first name. We acknowledge that St. Catherine of Siena is one of the most revered women in the Roman Catholic Church and one of only four women who have been named Doctors of the Church. In equal honor, we acknowledge St. Katharine Drexel’s ties to our local community, as her family purchased a summer home in Torresdale, and, together with her older sister Elizabeth, Katherine taught Sunday school classes for their family’s employees and their neighbors. Both St. Catherine of Siena and St. Katharine Drexel serve as exceptional models of Christian faith and service to God and neighbor.
