Angela…
a
woman who urged her followers to…
act,
bestir yourselves…
to live the dream of her youth…
Angela
was born to a farming family on the shores
of Lake Garda in Italy in 1474. she received
no formal education but her father would
read daily from the book “The Lives
of the Saints” and she was encouraged
by her parents to develop her prayer life.
It was during her teenage years she suffered
the death of both her parents and her sister
to whom she was very close. Following this
double loss in her young life Angela prayed
daily for a sign that her sister was in
heaven. Sitting in the fields one day during
harvest time Angela experienced a vision
in which,
my
sister stood before me and said to me
that God wanted to make use of me to
found a company of consecrated virgins
and
her dream was born. She realised God had
called her to something new;something special;something
full of hope, something that was filled
with potential to bring change to the world;
Angela
moved on in her life leaving behind Lake
Garda, took up her pilgrim staff and walked
many rocky roads in Italy, across continents
to visit the Holy Land;she truly was a woman
on a journey in her life seeking and searching
God's will for her;
Angela
was a charismatic woman who attracted others
to join her…when she finally arrived
in Brescia and settled into a room beside
the church of St Afra she had gathered many
companions and was a woman respected by
all classes of people as someone who listened
and advised. She was known for always having
an open door…but not only an open
door; an open heart too…
Angela
was by this time coming to her late fifties
and still had not made a concrete foundation
of her dream. All around her she saw sickness,
disease, poverty and war…she was also
very aware of the breakdown in family life…seeing
these needs she sought to respond…and
after many hours of prayer before the cross
she discerned her way forward…to bring
her dream alive…
At
this time young women had two choices in
life marriage (usually arranged by their
parents) or to join the convent and live
life behind the cloister wall. Angela came
to see that to influence others to change
their ways they needed role models amongst
them…and so her dream was realised…Angela
founded the Ursulines…and on the 25th
November 1535 the first 28 young women signed
the Book of the Company of Saint Ursula.
Religious
life for women took on a new dimension…these
young women would live at home or at their
place of work if they were in service or
in twos or threes in small houses…all
scattered throughout the city of Brescia.
Their life would be defined by prayer, fasting
and reaching out to meet the needs of others
and most importantly by their commitment
to chastity.
The
world had received a new and special gift…a
gift that would spread over the coming years
and centuries…
So
from a dream in a field in the Italian countryside
Ursulines have travelled across the globe
spreading the vision of Angela…
A
woman who changed the course of history
of religious life…
A
woman who inspired others to reach for the
stars and realise their dream of education
and training for girls.
A
woman who continues to inspire and challenge
us today to be aware of the needs around
us and to respond generously in love…following
the teachings of the gospel
A
woman who lives on in the hearts of thousands
of Ursuline Sisters, companions and associates
throughout the world
A
woman whose message is as relevant today
as it was in 1535…when she invited
young women to...
Do
something
Get moving
Be confident
Risk new things
Stick with it
Get on your knees
Then be ready for big surprises
Will
you join us in keeping the dream alive?
