Another foundress

As a Secular Carmelite I feel some affinity with today’s saint, the Italian Angela of Merici (1470-1540), a lay Franciscan who was a foundress.  ‘One day while Angela was sitting in the fields, her deceased sister appeared to her telling her that God wanted her to found “a company of virgins”. She became a Franciscan tertiary and formed a support group for unmarried girls in Desenzano and later she started another one in nearby Brescia, then a city suffering the chaos of war.  After this Angela went on a pilgrimage with her companions to the Holy Land. As they were passing through Crete, she was mysteriously struck blind, so when they reached the Holy Land, her companions had to describe the holy places to her. Equally mysteriously on the return journey, she recovered her sight at the same place.  Angela created “a social class of virgins“, a “company” run almost on military lines under a “virgin-mistress“. They referred the problems they could not handle to four “widow-matrons” or “colonels” chosen from among the aristocracy of Brescia.  In 1535 [just after Teresa entered the Convent of the Incarnation] Angela and some companions moved together into a house near the church of St Afra in Brescia. She became known for having an open house and an open heart. Though initially arousing some enmity, Angela won people over [shades of Teresa!]. The women lived either at home or in groups of twos and threes in small houses, praying, fasting and reaching out to help other women with education and training. They also made a commitment to chastity.’ [Adapted from the CatholicIreland website]

Intercessions:

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Jacqui, Theresa K, Fr Jon Bielowski (Plymouth Diocese), Catherine, Alex (43 with five children)

Illness:  Katy Keeling

Siena, Elara – sick children

David OCDS – housebound

Sophia – blind infant

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Lucia – Overwhelmed by weariness

Mark – brain infection

Michael – youngster with occult influences

Defence of the unborn and the elderly

RIP Roy Seymour, Richard Parker, Sue Burton, Joy Smith OCDS, Dr Alan Rodgers