Company of St. Ursula

The Company of St. Ursula, commonly called the Angelines, is an organization of consecrated women in the Catholic Church which was founded in 1535 in Brescia, Italy, by St. Angela Merici (ca. 1474-1540), dedicated to the service of God. Soon the education of women and girls and the care of the sick and needy became their primary focus. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.

In May 1958 the Angelines were established by the Holy See as the Secular Institute of St. Angela Merici. They follow the original form of life established by their foundress in that they live independently, responsible for their own well-being, for which they often have secular jobs, but they formally dedicate their lives to the service of the Church. The monastic Order of St. Ursula, called the Ursulines (among whom the largest organization are the Ursulines of the Roman Union), developed from this group.

Merici was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. According to the account of the history of the Company, she experienced a call from God to found a community to share this way of life. Among the group of men and women who formed around her due to her spiritual leadership, she soon selected 28 women who wished to commit their lives in this endeavor.

These women, along with Merici, made a commitment of their lives on 25 November 1535, the feast day of St. Catherine of Alexandria, a major female spiritual figure in the Middle Ages. They called themselves the Company of St. Ursula, taking as their patroness the medieval patron saint of education. Continuing to live in their family homes, they would meet regularly for conferences and prayer in common. Merici drew up a Rule of Life for them. Merici's vision was that they were to live among the people they served without any distinguishing feature, such as a religious habit.

Notable features of the Company were that it was unusual for women to be consecrated but to live outside the cloister. The women did not dress in a special habit. They met periodically and assisted at mass monthly. Although observing evangelical counsels they did not take vows.

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