St. Angela Merici - May 31st
Angela was born in a small Italian town and became an orphan at ten. She and her beloved sister were taken care of by their uncle. When she was thirteen, another big sorrow fell upon Angela. The sister she loved so much died suddenly, even before there was time to give her the last Sacraments. Angela was worried about her, but in His goodness, Jesus let her know that her sister was saved. To thank Him, the Saint gave her heart completely to Him.
When she was about twenty-two, she began to realize how little the poor children in her town knew about religion. Their parents were not teaching them anything about it. Angela asked some of her girlfriends to join her in teaching Catechism to these children. None of the girls had money or important positions, but they were anxious to help Angela do good to the children.
At that time there were no orders of teaching sisters at all. No one had ever thought of such a thing. St. Angela Merici was the first one to gather together a group of women to open schools for children. At first these women lived in their own homes, and because of many difficulties, it was a very long time before they could live together in a convent. The Saint herself died when her Congregation had just started. But she had great trust in God. She knew He would take care of the mission she had begun. And so He did. Her Congregation, called the Ursuline Sisters, spread to many countries and has become famous for its many good works in the Church of God.
The life of this Saint was one of prayer and patience. Let us not be discouraged even if we cannot do all the good we want to do. God will reward us for trying to do what we can.
