History & Heritage

Philosophy of our Foundress

St. Angela Merici founded the Company of St. Ursula in Brescia, Italy, in 1535. In 1612, the Order of St. Ursula began in Paris. In her life, she reached out in service and love to rich and poor alike. In her writings, she developed a philosophy of personal formation, a commitment to justice and a promotion of self-discipline through encouragement rather than compulsion in an atmosphere of unity, mutual love, and respect.

With foresight and courage, Saint Angela challenged the conventional limits imposed on women of her era -- marriage or the convent -- and created a new way for them to lead active, independent lives in their communities, addressing the most urgent needs of others. In doing so, she significantly expanded the sphere of action and influence afforded to the women of her time. For centuries, the Ursuline Sisters have built on this powerful legacy, bringing their caring attention and educational expertise to generations of girls of all races and backgrounds, across the globe.

The Founding of the Company of St. Ursula

It was November 25, 1535, when St. Angela Merici and 28 of her companions founded the Company of St. Ursula. In a simple ceremony, members attended Mass and each wrote her name in the Book of the Company - consecrating themselves to God.

From its inception, this Company began the trailblazing spirit that is still alive today in all Ursulines and their lay associates. These women lived in a time of war, civil strife, and violence; a time of great progress in science, travel, the arts, and agriculture; a time of great holiness and great corruption; a time of church reform and church oppression and scandal. Angela, a product of that time, continually allowed the Holy Spirit to transform her life.

Living most of her life in Brescia in northern Italy, Angela became well-known for her ministry of service to the marginalized: the displaced, the poor, the orphaned, the sick, and especially women. St. Angela saw women as significant agents of change in a world longing for love, unity, and When she was a teen, Angela received a vision instructing her to form a “company of women” to further the work of God.

At a time when women were given two choices - married or cloistered life - Angela and her companions made a third. Members lived in their own homes or with one or two other members of the Company. They were to be women of prayer and virtue with a simple rule, and they had spiritual leaders to whom they would be accountable and who would strengthen and direct them. St. Angela only lived five years after the founding of her Company.

In that time, she dictated to her male secretary, Gabriele Cozzano, what is referred to as her “writings” - the first rule counsels, and testament. In her writings, St. Angela developed a philosophy of personal formation, a commitment to justice, and a promotion of self-discipline through encouragement rather than compulsion in an atmosphere of unity, mutual love, and respect. Her words were a guiding light for the members who were left to carry on her Company.

Those same words continue to guide her modern-day company as they are passed down to students, staff, alumnae, and families. After Angela’s death on January 27, 1540, the Company of Saint Ursula spread rapidly. Ursuline communities were quickly established in France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States. Today, thousands of Ursuline Sisters work to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ on six continents, in schools, and in ministries for the poor and oppressed. Angela’s company was the first group of consecrated women to work outside of a formal cloister or convent in her day and became the first teaching order of women in the Catholic Church.

The community existed as what is called a "secular institute" until years after Angela's death. Nearly 500 years later, the same Ursuline spirit and charism continue to thrive throughout the world.