CATHERINE'S TRANSLATION

The most precious items in medieval Siena were the bones of St.Catherine.
So when they went to war, they moved the bones to a secret place outside the city.
They won the war, and staged a triumphant procession to move the bones
back into the city.

She was a 3d-order Dominican, so the Dominicans marked the day of her return with a separate feast called the TRANSLATIO CATERINAE. (In Latin, TRANSLATIO means transference—of her bones).

Siena gave some of the bones to their war-allies.
TODAY:
While chanting the Office, at the end of every psalm, friars bow low for the GLORIA PATRI. That gives a chance to sneak in wise-acre cracks about the liturgy.

On this feast-day, Bro. Paul was next to me in the choir. He muttered:
“Poor Catherine; she lost a lot in Translation !”