Angela de Merici (1474–1540)

Biography

He had a joyful and happy childhood. He was unaware of poverty and his parents transmitted a healthy devotion to him. But God wanted to refine that devotion in the flame of suffering; That is why she called her parents to eternity, while she was still very young. In order to free himself from earthly cares, he renounced his inheritance and accepted the habit of the third order of Saint Francis. She found lodging in her relatives' house, where, for 20 years, as a servant, she carried out the most humble jobs, until she felt the vocation to dedicate herself especially to children. Since then he dedicated all his free moments to young people. The children felt the motherhood hidden in her generous soul and went to her in every happy or sad circumstance. With his lively and active character, he taught them classes on the important truths of the faith and taught them religious songs. His little protégés brought the new spirit to their families. Angela gradually became the good angel of the entire Lake Garda region. Her fame spread and people of all classes and conditions, including princes and Priests, came to her for spiritual advice. He formed a Religious Congregation without a convent and without vows, something completely unusual for the tradition of that time. Her work was consolidated and spread rapidly thanks to her prayer, her practical intelligence and her authentically feminine personality. He never elevated himself above his disciples. She remained the last and the most humble, even when she had to give orders and punish. He didn't care so much about organization but rather about the right attitude and love. His kindness did not exclude any of those who came to request his help. But he was not satisfied with caring for bodily misery; He always sought the soul of the stranger to unite it again with the Spring of all Life. Angela Merici did not live long after the founding. In the winter of 1539, fever left her bedridden and she died suddenly on January 27, 1540, in Brescia, Italy. In 1807 she was canonized and her educational charisma in Catholic schools also influenced Latin America.