Stained Glass Window of St. Catherine di Ricci at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, NYC
Photo: Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.

The following excerpt/audio is taken from Dominicana, the official blog of the Dominican Studentate:

“Today the Dominican Order celebrates the feast of St. Catherine de Ricci. She’s known for her mysticism and her devotion, as found in her Canticum de Passione Domini. The studentate has translated and recorded the chant for you.”

Renowned for her extraordinary mysticism, Catherine de Ricci (1522 – 90) is one of five Dominican women who have been canonized. (The others are St. Rose of Lima, St. Agnes of Montepulciano, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Margaret of Hungary.) Born in Florence to the noble Ricci family, she joined the Second Order Dominicans at the monastery of St. Vincent in Prato, in Tuscany, at the age of thirteen and later governed the monastery as prioress for thirty-six years. Her life exemplifies the contribution of women to the life of the Order and the church as well as to society in general. Noted for her devotion to the crucifix, a concrete image of suffering and love, she relived Christ’s Passions every Friday for twelve years; she also received the stigmata. Her letters to Pope Pius V and other leaders illustrate her courageous work for church reformation and constitute a rich contribution to spirituality and theological thought.