The heavenly intercessors of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters
Click on any saint to learn more about their life and their special intercession for our Congregation.
One of the legends pictures Ursula as the daughter of a king of Britain. The king desired for a son, God gave him instead a baby-girl, but with the heart of a man. The child was called Ursula, because one day she would strangle the devil, as David had done once with the bear. In Latin ’Ursus’ means bear. Raised according to her state, yet detached from the riches of the world, Ursula longed for spiritual things and meditated day and night on the law of God.
St. Angela Merici was born around the year 1474 at Desenzano del Garda, in Brescia, a prosperous fishing port and an important grain market. Her father, John Merici, was an agriculturist, while her mother, Catherine, came from Salò. Angela grew up in a loving, simple, and deeply Christian family. The atmosphere of her home was honest and wholesome, far removed from the corruption and worldly spirit that characterized much of the society of that time.
At the end of the 11th century, few could have imagined that anything remarkable would emerge from Assisi. The town was troubled by internal divisions, social conflicts, and rivalry with neighbouring cities, especially Perugia. Yet, by the end of the 13th century, people across Europe could only marvel at the transformation that God had brought about, not only in Assisi but throughout the Church, through the life and mission of St. Francis of Assisi and his followers.
