Saint Angela Merici

January 27, we celebrate the feast of Saint Angela Merici, Italian religious educator, teacher, patron of sickness, handicapped people, loss of parents and foundress of the Company of St. Ursula in 1535 in Brescia, in which women dedicated their lives to the service of the Church through the education of girls.

From this organization later sprang the monastic Order of Ursulines, whose nuns established places of prayer and learning throughout Europe and, later, worldwide, most notably in North America.

Angela was born to an Italian farming family, the older of two sisters, both of who quickly learned the virtue of hard work. Angela felt called to the Holy life at an early age, despite receiving formal religious education, committing herself to daily prayer and song.

As she aged, she wanted to emulate Saint Francis, and live in austerity, forgoing even sleeping in a bed. Prior to age 10, Angela took a vow of chastity, declaring her intention to remain a virgin for the Lord.

Following her parents’ deaths, Angela and her sister were sent to live with a wealthy uncle. Shortly afterwards, Angela’s sister died unexpectedly, before she was able to receive the sacrament of Last Rites. Extremely upset by her sister’s death, Angela’s eyes were opened to the plight of young girls around her.

Few received education, and even fewer, religious education of any kind. Angela saw, even in her youth, that this lack of education was detrimental to families, as there were few “Christian mothers” who could instruct their children in the ways of the Lord.

Angela worried about her sister’s soul. Jesus revealed to her that the girl had been saved. Angela felt peace return to her own soul.

When Angela was 20-years-old, her uncle died and she returned to Desenzano. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Angela became convinced there was a great need for a better way of teaching these young girls. So, she opened her own home to them and began to teach them herself.

She devotedly taught them the Catholic Christian faith. By her example and instruction, she taught them how to pray and participate in the sacramental life of the Church. She evangelized and catechized these young girls, opening them up to the life of grace.

At that time there were no religious orders of teaching sisters. St. Angela Merici was the first to gather together a group of women to open schools for children. On November 25, 1535, twenty-eight young women offered their lives to God. It was the beginning of the Ursuline order.

She formed them into the Company of Saint Ursula (patroness of medieval universities and venerated as a leader of women) for the purpose of re-Christianizing family life through solid Christian education of future wives and mothers.

The members continued to live at home, had no special habit and took no formal vows, though the early Rule prescribed the practice of virginity, poverty, and obedience. The idea of a teaching congregation of women was new and took time to develop.

In 1524, she eagerly took the opportunity for a trip to the Holy Land. When they had gotten as far as Crete, she was struck with blindness. Her friends wanted to return home, but she insisted on going through with the pilgrimage, and visited the sacred shrines with as much devotion and enthusiasm as if she had her sight. On the way back, while praying before a crucifix, her sight was restored at the same place where it had been lost.

St. Angela was almost seventy when she died on January 27, 1540; her body remained incorrupt for thirty days. St. Angela Merici was beatified on April 30, 1768 by Pope Clement XIII and canonized May 24, 1807 by Pope Pius VII.

Saint Angela Merici is considered the patron saint against sickness and bodily ills, disability, and the loss of parents. She is the patroness of orphans, the disabled, and the mentally challenged

Saint Angela Merici, pray for us.