Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union

Central Province

Post-nominal letters: OSU

This collection holds the records of the Central and former Northeast Provinces of the Ursulines of the Roman Union in the United States.

This collection is unprocessed and currently closed for research.

Saint Angela Merici (1474-1540), foundress of the Ursulines

Reading and interpreting the signs of the times, Angela Merici was led by the Spirit to undertake an entirely new way of life which evolved gradually as she moved forward, step by step in response to his call.

She was born around 1474 in Desenzano, Northern Italy. Soon the family moved out of town to a farm at Le Grezze. Here Angela became familiar with the countryside. Here her father read to the children about the lives of the saints, something which influenced Angela throughout her life. Around 1490, her parents and elder sister died and she went, probably with her younger brother, to live with her uncle Biancosi in Salò. She continued her austere life, even in the more sophisticated surroundings of Salò. It was probably here that Angela became a Franciscan Tertiary. Later she returned to the house at Le Grezze where she lived for about 20 years.

In 1516, her Franciscan superiors asked her to go to Brescia to help Caterina Patengola who had lost her husband and sons. At her house she met Antonio Romano in whose household she lived for 14 years. In 1524 Angela went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with her cousin Biancosi and Antonio Romano. On the journey she lost her sight and saw the holy places with the eyes of her heart.

In 1525, she went to Rome for the Holy Year and had an audience with Pope Clement VII. Twice she went on pilgrimages to Varallo to see the shrines of the events of Jesus’ life and in 1529, when Brescia was under threat of invasion, she went with Agostino Gallo and his family to Cremona. On their return she lived for some months with Agostino’s family in front of the Church of San Clemente.

All the time that she lived in Brescia she welcomed all who came to her for help: those seeking her prayer or her practical advice, those hoping for reconciliation, wealthy lords, theologians, preachers and the ordinary people of the city. She became aware of the young women who were looking for a life of consecration without entering a monastery and felt called by God to create something new in the Church.

In the last years of her life she moved to a room by the Church of St Afra. She gathered her companions and dictated her Rule, her Counsels for the colonelle (the members who were in charge and who were formators) and her Testament for the lady governesses (who represented the Company to the authorities) and finally on 25 November 1535, she founded the Company of Saint Ursula – providing for the women of her time a radical consecration to the Lord without vows or cloister.

She died on 27 January 1540 and was canonized on 24 May 1807 by Pius VII. The Writings of St. Angela Merici consists of three parts: Rule, Counsels and Testament.

-Text and image courtesy of Ursulines-roman-union.org.

Historical Sketch

“Taking root in Brescia, Italy in 1535, the Ursulines grew and extended their presence to France, Germany and other parts of Europe. They established a strong identity as educators and founded communities and schools for the education of girls wherever they went. Pioneer educators in North America, they arrived in Quebec in 1639 and New Orleans in 1727.

During the 19^th century, more Ursulines arriving from Europe and Canada settled in Missouri, New York, Maine and California, bringing the tradition begun by Angela to new educational endeavors. These new communities of Ursulines grew and spread across the country….As the needs of the times change, Ursulines continually broaden their ministries to meet society’s needs, reaching beyond geographical boundaries to serve around the world.”

-Text courtesy of OSUeast.org.

Charisms of the Ursulines

Although the Ursulines were cloistered for some time, their foundress’ intention was not for the community to be cloistered, and so that charism is purposefully left out here. Despite their forced enclosure, the Ursulines continued their commitment to the spiritual formation of young women by opening convent schools. Ursulines of the Roman Union are no longer cloistered, and continue to operate schools globally. Throughout their history, they have been involved in caring for the poor and advocating for the rights and protection of the vulnerable.

For more information:

Please see the official website of the Ursulines of the Roman Union Central Province at Osucentral.org.