St. Angela Merici, born in Desenzano, Italy in 1474, founded what would become the Ursuline Order at a time when few imagined women as educators outside the home, let alone leaders in the renewal of Christian society. Yet Angela saw clearly what others overlooked. If the faith was to be lived and passed on, young girls needed to be formed in it with care, wisdom, and love.
Her own life prepared her for this mission through hardship. Orphaned at a young age and later grieving the sudden death of her sister, Angela turned instinctively to prayer. In her sorrow, she entrusted her sister to God’s mercy and received a consoling vision that confirmed her sister’s salvation. This early suffering shaped her lifelong confidence in God’s providence, reflected in her simple encouragement to others: have faith and keep up your courage.
Angela lived during a period of social unrest and moral instability, and she recognized a pattern that remains strikingly relevant. Disorder in society, she believed, often begins with disorder in the family. Women, though lacking formal power in her time, held enormous influence through the formation of children and the spiritual tone of the home. This conviction guided her desire to educate young girls not only in reading and practical skills, but in prayer, virtue, and devotion to the Church.
As a young woman, Angela experienced another defining moment. During a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1524, she suddenly lost her sight while praying before a crucifix on the island of Crete. Rather than abandoning the journey, she continued on, visiting each holy site in blindness, relying on others and remaining joyful. When she returned through Crete at the end of the pilgrimage, her sight was restored while praying before the same crucifix. She understood this experience as a lesson from God never to close her eyes to the needs of others or her heart to His will.
In 1535, Angela formally gathered women into the Company of St. Ursula, named for the early Christian martyr who led others in faithfulness to Christ. These women did not live in cloisters but remained in their homes, meeting regularly for prayer and instruction while dedicating themselves to teaching young girls. It was a radical model, rooted in trust that holiness could flourish in the world, not only apart from it.
Angela remained deeply faithful to the Church during a time of corruption and confusion. She became a Third Order Franciscan and made a pilgrimage to Rome during the Jubilee Year of 1525. Pope Paul III, impressed by her holiness and success, invited her to remain in Rome. She declined, choosing instead the quieter path of continuing her mission. That humility eventually led to the formal recognition of the Ursulines as a religious teaching order shortly after she died in 1540.
St. Angela Merici’s legacy lives on wherever women are formed in faith, prayer, and service. Her feast day is January 27, and she is invoked as a patroness of the sick, the disabled, and those grieving the loss of parents. Her life reminds us that patient formation, lived fidelity, and quiet courage can change the Church and the world.
For women seeking daily spiritual nourishment rooted in Scripture, the saints, and the rhythms of Catholic life, Daily Companion for Women offers thoughtful reflections to support prayer and growth throughout the year. Like St. Angela’s vision, it encourages faithfulness in the ordinary places where God continues to work. Find your copy today at The Catholic Company!
