January 27: St. Angela Merici
Born: March 21, 1474 in Desenzano, Italy
Died: January 27, 1540 in Brescia, Italy
Nationality: Italian
Vocation: laywoman, consecrated virgin, teacher
Attributes: With a cloak and a ladder
Patronage: Those grieving the loss of parents, sickness, physically disabled people
Canonization: May 24, 1807 by Pope Pius VII
"Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family.”
Angela was born in Desenzano, Italy and had one sister. During the girls’ youth, their parents tragically died and they went to live with their uncle. Later still, Angela’s sister also passed away unexpectedly, causing even more grief for young Angela. By this time, Angela had made the decision to dedicate her life to the Lord. After her uncle died when Angela was 20, she returned home to Desenzano. It was there that she saw the apparent needs for young girls to be educated. During that time, unmarried women were not allowed to work outside the home and nuns were cloistered, therefore young girls did not have the chance to receive an education.
Angela decided to do something about this and opened her own home to young girls to educate them. She knew the importance of education but also of family. Her school allowed girls to live in their own homes and attend school. Other women began to join Angela in this mission and she was quick to remind her colleagues that they “have a greater need to serve the poor than they have of your service.”
In 1574, she took a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands but lost her eyesight along the way. She joyfully continued her pilgrimage, experiencing everything even without her sight. On the way back, she once again received her sight at the same place she lost it. This is why she is the patron saint of the physically disabled.
The community that Angela had formed did not take vows, but they did practice chastity, poverty, and obedience. Angela had written a rule for this community, but did not seek to get it formally recognized until near the end of her life. The community became known as the Company of St. Ursula, now known as the Ursulines. They would not cloister themselves like other religious congregations but rather lived in their own homes and worked in the world. They became the first female teaching order of the Catholic church.
At the time of her death, there were 24 different communities of Ursulines and they have continued to spread around the world, educating young girls. St. Angela died in Brescia, Italy while wearing a Franciscan tertiary.
St. Angela Merici, pray for us.