 When she was in her teens, her mother insisted that she accept marriage. Her mother arranged a marriage, and Catherine had to resist so firmly that she even cut off her hair to postpone the engagement. Catherine respected her mother, but when it came to doing God's will, Catherine was unshakable. Eventually, after many battles and tears, Catherine convinced both her mother and the church authorities to allow her to pursue what she saw as her God-given vocation, to be a Dominican tertiary consecrated to Christ while living in her home and serving the needs of the people of Siena.