Neri served as Catherine’s scribe and was absolutely devoted to her. Before joining Catherine’s spiritual family, he was a poet and was a member of several public offices in Siena. Catherine accepted him into her spiritual family in 1372, which made him the first layman to enter her companion group and he did not re-enter public office after 1375.1 Many letters were addressed to him, as he often needed assurances from Catherine that he was still a part of the family and she still cared for him. After her death in 1380, he became a hermit, first in Agromaggio (near Florence) and then a location closer to Siena. He remained in contact with Stefano di Corrado and other companions until his death.2 Part of his legacy lives in his work of collecting and dispersing Catherine’s letters after her death to the wider Italian populace. This ensured that Catherine’s legacy would continue to live on after her death.