Prince William and the two Catherines - Dominican sisters to offer special prayers for the Royal Couple on their wedding day

As I'm sure many of you know, 29 April is the day when the Catholic Church traditionally celebrates the feast of St Catherine of Siena - one of our greatest saints, a Doctor of the Church, and a patroness of Europe. Aptly, this is also the date chosen for this year's Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Although St Catherine of Siena's feast will not be celebrated liturgically by most Catholics this year, as 29 April falls during the Easter Octave, some Dominican sisters have promised ask for the Saint's intercession on behalf of the Royal Couple on that day.

In a press release issued by the Catholic Communications Network, it was also revealed that Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor will be attending the Royal Wedding. He is a personal friend of the Queen's and his titular church in Rome, the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, houses the tomb of St Catherine of Siena - most of her body lies buried beneath the high altar.

Referring to the Royal Wedding, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said: "It is beautiful that they are being married on the feast of St. Catherine of Siena. St. Catherine was a Dominican Tertiary and a bold and wonderful saint. She is buried under the altar of the Dominican Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome which is close to where she died." After mentioning her importance to the Church and to Europe, the Cardinal went on to offer two quotes from St Catherine's writings: "‘Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire’ and, talking to God, she said, ‘You make the heart big – not stingy – so big it has room in its loving charity for everyone.’"

A modern-day Dominican Sister of the English Congregation of Saint Catherine of Siena based in Cambridge, Sr Ann Catherine Swailes OP, also commented on the Royal Event and St Catherine's Day, saying: "St Catherine of Siena is so important to us as a religious community. I hope that many people will join us in praying for the happy couple and we will be calling on St Catherine in heaven for her prayers. We will be praying for all married couples that in their beautiful vocation, in their love for each other, they will have hearts that are big, hearts that are full of love and compassion for all."

CNN briefly introduces St Catherine, thus: "St Catherine of Siena was born in 1347, the 24th of 25 children of a wool dyer in northern Italy. She became a lay member of the Dominican Order in the Roman Catholic Church when she was 16 and so is a very special saint to Dominicans today. St. Catherine was one of the most brilliant theological minds of her day and persuaded the Pope to go back to Rome from Avignon, in 1377. She died in 1380 at the age of 33 having received the stigmata in 1375. Her body was found incorrupt in 1430."

To read more about this story, please seethe CNN press release on the Bishops' Conference's website. If you would like to know more about the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, please visit its official website.

[Image: St Catherine of Siena's tomb beneath the High Altar at Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome - the titular church of HE Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor; this image had been released into the public domain by its author, Hreid; source: Wikimedia Commons]