St. Angela Merici
What is St. Angela Merici the patron saint of?
What was the miracle of St. Angela Merici?
Who was St. Angela Merici?
What significant vision did St. Angela Merici have in 1506?
St. Angela Merici (born March 21, 1474, Desenzano, Republic of Venice [Italy]—died January 27, 1540, Brescia; canonized May 24, 1807; feast day January 27) was an Italian nun and the founder of the Ursuline order, the oldest religious order of women in the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to the education of girls. She is often celebrated as a woman of foresight and courage who enjoined her successors to make changes according to the needs of the time. She is venerated as a patron saint of educators, teachers, the sick, people with disabilities, and people who are grieving the loss of their parents.
Orphaned young, she went to Salò (Italy) to live in the home of an uncle. Later she joined the Third Order of St. Francis, a branch of the Franciscans that consists of both consecrated religious and laypeople who try to emulate the example of St. Francis of Assisi by performing works of teaching, charity, and social service. At the age of 20 she returned to Desenzano, where she gathered about her a group of girls who taught the catechism to the children of the village. In 1506, while praying in the fields of Brudazzo, Angela had a vision in which she was told that she would found a society of virgins at Brescia. The citizens of Brescia came to regard her as a prophet and a saint.
On November 25, 1535, at Brescia, Angela and 28 companions consecrated themselves to God by a vow of virginity, and the Company of St. Ursula was born. It was named for the legendary virgin martyr who in the 4th century reputedly led a group of virgins that was martyred by the Huns in Cologne, Germany. Angela drew up her order’s rule in 1536, which provided for the Christian education of girls in order to restore the family and, through the family, the whole of Christian society. She was unanimously elected superior of the company in 1537. Before her death she dictated her spiritual testament and her counsels to her nuns; they insist on interest in the individual, gentleness, and the efficacy of persuasion over force.
