Local Ursulines join global Sisters in remembrance

By Eileen Connelly, OSU

ARCHDIOCESE — On May 24, Ursulines throughout the world, including the Cincinnati and Brown County congregations, celebrated the 200th anniversary of the canonization of St. Angela Merici, their foundress, giving all Sisters, associates, friends, students and anyone who feels a connection to this faith-filled woman, the opportunity to further reflect on the way she continues to touch their lives.

Born into a farming family between 1470 and 1475, St. Angela learned the meaning of hard work early in life. While she received little formal education, she develops habit of prayer that would last throughout her life. As a teen-ager, St. Angela lost both her parents and a sister to whom she was very close. Devastated by the loss, she asked God for some sign that her sister was safe. One day while working in the fields, St. Angela had a vision of angels and young girls approaching, one of whom she recognized as her sister. Greatly comforted by the vision, St. Angela interpreted it to mean that God wanted her to found a company dedicated to young women.

COURTESY PHOTO

Regina Mutombo, Marie-Bernadette Mbuy Beya and another member of the Company of St. Ursula of Congo-Cameroun rejoice in St. Peter’s Square after the Mass of Thanksgiving on May 24, marking the 200th anniversary of the canonization of St. Angela Merici.

The Company of St. Ursula differed greatly from other religious orders of the time. Rather than cutting themselves off from society, St. Angela’s followers dedicated themselves to working among the people, with a special emphasis on empowering women. Instead of living in cloister, the first Ursulines continued to live with their families, gathering regularly as a community for prayer. While the early Ursulines did practice the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, St. Angela’s spirituality and style of leadership afforded the Sisters much greater freedom in their spiritual lives and ministry than was the norm. Her writings — the Rule, Counsels and Legacy — provided guidance for her followers while fostering the development of their individual gifts and relationships with God.

Although the people of St. Angela’s time already thought of her as a saint, and actually referred to her as such after her death in 1540, she wasn’t canonized until 1807 due to the complexity of the process. It is because of the dedication of one Ursuline — Mother Maria Luisa Schiantarelli — that all of the evidence and details were organized and the canonization occurred. Thanks to her efforts, Pope Pius VI proclaimed St. Angela’s Decree of Canonization in 1790. The start of the French Revolution and invasion of Napoleon’s armies in Europe, coupled with material and financial losses suffered by the Ursuline community in Rome, delayed the ceremony. Meanwhile, Mother Luisa kept working for St. Angela’s cause, even in failing health. She passed away in 1802 but would witness the Ursuline foundress’ canonization from heaven five years later, as the then-cloistered members of the congregation were authorized to attend the ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Two hundred years later, St. Angela’s followers again gathered in her homeland to remember their beloved "Madre." The celebration began on May 19 when the saint’s casket was welcomed to the chapel at Le Grezze, the family farm near Desenzano in northern Italy, where she spent her childhood. This was followed by a candlelight procession to the nearby St. Angela Church for a prayer service. A solemn Mass was held at the parish the next day, after which the body was transferred to the cathedral resting in state for the next several days. Hundreds of Ursulines from Europe, Africa, Asia and North and South America then gathered for a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to mark the ocassion. Maria Rosa Razza, president of the federated Companies of St. Ursula worldwide, proclaimed the call to worship of the Mass of thanksgiving, offering thanks to God for the graces that have flowed from the life of St. Angela. Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the Pope’s vicar for Vatican City, was the chief celebrant. After Mass, the body spent the night at the Mericianum (a spiritual center dedicated to St. Angela), where the Ursuline Sisters kept vigil. St. Angela was then returned to the ancient church of St. Afra in Brescia, where she normally rests.

Mary Cabrini Durkin, a member of the Company of St. Ursula in United States centered in Cincinnati, was in Rome for an international convocation and present for celebration. "Celebrating with St. Angela’s global family filled me with joy," she said. "Ursulines of the Companies and of the Order, with associates and sodalists and friends, united to honor her and to affirm the blessing of sharing her spirit. The bicentennial, all year, really, is an opportunity for a fresh look at St. Angela’s holiness. It reminds us that she walked a path that we can follow in our ordinary lives, a path of love for God and neighbors."

Her anniversary was also commemorated with pilgrimages, prayers and special gatherings wherever there is an Ursuline presence. Locally, the Cincinnati and Brown County congregations came together for an evening of prayer and reflection that included a DVD of images of Angela compiled by Sister Agatha Fitzgerald (Brown County). "It was significant for me to know that all Ursulines were celebrating together on this occasion and using the same prayer services," said Sister Patricia Homan (Brown County). "It was not only an opportunity to enrich ourselves, but those we serve and to keep St. Angela alive within our constituencies, our boards and our schools."

Sisters from both communities found the occasion to be a chance to reflect the saint’s life and legacy. "Angela is such a timeless person. She was so far ahead of her time in wishing to help women of her day meet the needs of their time," said Sister Mary Germaine Thorburn (Cincinnati).