Feast day: November 25
Catherine was born to a noble family in Alexandria, Egypt. She converted to Christianity after seeing a vision and began evangelizing others, including the wife of the pagan emperor. She personally denounced the emperor for his persecutions of Christians and defied him when he brought in philosophers to test her faith. He ordered her to be imprisoned and tortured. She was put on a rotating spiked wheel, but when the wheel broke, she was beheaded. Catherine is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and her heavenly voice was heard by St. Joan of Arc.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God,
who gave Saint Catherine of Alexandria to your people
as a Virgin and an invincible Martyr,
grant that through her intercession
we may be strengthened in faith and constancy
and spend ourselves without reserve
for the unity of the Church.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.