Today, March 6, is the memorial of Saint Colette.
Colette was born Nicole Boellet in France in 1381. Her parents were already old when they had her. They prayed to St. Nicholas of Myra for a baby. When their prayers were answered, they nicknamed the baby Nicolette in honor of St. Nicholas. The nickname was later shortened to Colette.
Colette was orphaned at age 17, and adopted by a Benedictine abbot. She rejected marriage, as she had a vocation. She initially tried to join the Beguines and Benedictines, but ended up becoming a Franciscan tertiary. In 1402, at age 21, she became an anchoress, that is, she was walled into a cell whose only opening was a grilled window into a church.
St. Francis of Assisi appeared to her many times, telling her to reform the Poor Clares. When Colette dilly-dallied, she became mute and blind. She was restored when she finally resolved to start the reform.
Her reform was not easy. She met oppositions, abuses, slander, and, at some point, was called a sorceress. She found supporters and allies to her cause, notably the Antipope Benedict XIII and Blessed Henry de Beaume. She successfully made the reforms in France, Belgium, and Spain. She founded many convents. A branch of the Poor Clares is still known as the Colettine Poor Clares.
Colette was devoted to the Passion of Jesus. She fasted every Friday. After receiving Holy Communion, she would fall into ecstasies for hours. She predicted the day of her death in 1447.
She was beatified in 1740 by Pope Clement XII. Colette was canonized in 1807 by the Servant of God Pope Pius VII.