Saint Angela Merici was born around 1474 in Desenzano, near Lake Garda in northern Italy, and was left an orphan at a young age. In 1535 in Brescia she founded the Company of Saint Ursula, a community of women dedicated to the Christian education of girls, the first group of its kind in the Church. She died on January 27, 1540, and was canonized in 1807.
Angela saw that caring for and teaching children was a holy work, and she gave her whole life to it with patience and tenderness. She teaches us that quiet, faithful love for the young — offered day after day — is a path to God. Her trust that heaven holds those we have taught and loved is a gentle comfort to every grieving heart.
Saint Angela Merici, who loved and taught the children entrusted to you, watch over Ben and all the young who now rest in God's arms, and comfort those who love them. Amen.Enter today’s Mass → All saints →