St. Catherine of Siena Medallion Tote Bag (Black)

These custom made-on-demand Tote Bags ship world-wide directly from our exceptional craftsmen in China. When placing your order, please use a physical street address for DHL Express delivery. DHL Express can not deliver to a PO Box. Destination tracking is available for most countries. A tracking number will be emailed to you once your order has shipped.

Production Time: 5-7 working days
DHL Express Ship Time: 3-6 days

Please Note: During peak shopping seasons, production and ship time may take a little longer than normal. If you are buying this item as a gift, please order as early as possible. We don't want to disappoint you or the gift recipient with a potentially delayed order.

For countries where tracking numbers are not available, this item should arrive by regular post within 2-4 weeks. Orders that have not arrived within 45 days of order processing are eligible for a free reshipment or a refund.

MATERIALS 
These Tote Bags are made with a high quality, textured imitation leather with a Safiano Finish created by the luxury designer brand Prada. This material is made with split leather (that’s the fibrous part of the hide left over from making genuine leather) which has been bonded with polyurethane. This material is extremely durable and the image will not fade, peel or flake. The interior lining is a soft, brushed polyester. These Tote Bags are vegan and eco friendly.

CARE
Your freshly made bag might arrive with a "new bag smell" (similar to a new car smell) that some people love and others do not. When you receive your bag, please unwrap it and allow the bag breathe for 24-48 hours to absorb the natural scents of its surroundings. To clean your tote bag, use a soft, damp towel to wipe away any dust or dirt. You can use a mild soap or gentle cleaning spray if needed. Please do not put this tote bag in the washing machine.

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA

1347 — 1380
Feast Day April 29
Patron Saint of Siena, Italy, Europe, nurses and against fire and bodily ills.

Catherine ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. She remains a greatly respected figure for her writings and political boldness to "speak truth to power" — it is exceptional for a woman, in her time period, to have had such influence in politics and on world history. She is one of the most influential writers in Catholicism, to the point that she was the first woman and one of only four women to be declared a Doctor of the Church.

Catherine was born during the outbreak of the plague in Siena, Italy on March 25, 1347. She was the 25th child born to her mother, although half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood. Catherine herself was a twin, but her sister did not survive infancy.

She joined the Third Order of St. Dominic when she was a teenager and received the stigmata and the Crown of Thorns at twenty-eight years of age. Catherine endured an intense pain in her head, caused by the miraculous hidden thorns which continually pierced it.

Catherine often visited hospitals and homes where the poor and sick were found. Her activities quickly attracted followers who helped her in her mission to serve them. She was drawn further into the world as she worked, and eventually she began to travel, calling for reform of the Church and for people to confess and to love God totally. She became involved in politics and was key in working to keep city states loyal to the Pope. She petitioned for peace and became involved in the fractured politics of her time, but was instrumental in restoring the Papacy to Rome and in brokering peace deals during a time of conflict and war between the Italian city states.

By 1380, the 33-year-old mystic had become ill and her illness accelerated her inability to eat and drink. Within weeks, she was unable to use her legs. She died on April 29, following a stroke just a week prior.

She died while in Rome, but her hometown, Siena, wanted to have her body. When a few of her followers from home realized they would not be able to smuggle her whole body past the guards in Rome, they took only her head, hidden in a paper bag. They were stopped by the guards and the smugglers prayed to Catherine to protect them. When the guards looked in the bag, they saw not the small, beautiful head of the saint, but hundreds of rose petals. When they returned to Siena, her head had re-materialized ... Saint Catherine’s final miracle. Her head was placed in a splendid reliquary, where it remains today. The rest of her incorrupt body is preserved in the magnificent Dominican Church of Santa Maria Della Minerva in Rome.