Angelines facts for kids

The Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, are a special group of women in the Catholic Church. They are called a secular institute, which means they dedicate their lives to God but live and work in the everyday world. They were started in 1535 by Angela Merici (around 1474-1540) in Brescia, Italy.

Their main goals are to help educate women and girls, and to care for people who are sick or in need. Their special helper, or patron saint, is Saint Ursula. Angelines live independently, often having regular jobs, but they promise their lives to serving the church. Later, in 1572, some members formed a different group called the Ursulines, which became a monastic order.

How the Angelines Started

Angela Merici was a very spiritual woman. She felt called by God to create a community. This community would share a special way of life. Many people were drawn to her spiritual leadership. From this group, she chose 28 women. These women wanted to commit their lives to this new idea.

On November 25, 1535, these women, with Angela Merici, made their commitment. This day is the feast day of St. Catherine of Alexandria, an important woman from the Middle Ages. They named their group the Company of St. Ursula. They chose St. Ursula as their patroness because she was known as a patron saint of education.

These women continued to live in their own homes. They met regularly for prayer and discussions. Merici wrote a special set of rules for them to follow. They were meant to live among the people they served. They did not wear a special religious habit (like a uniform). They also lived outside a cloister (a closed-off area for religious communities). They met often and attended Holy Mass once a month. They followed special Christian teachings called evangelical counsels. However, they did not take formal vows like nuns in monasteries.

The company grew quickly. Many women from the city joined them. The growing number of members were organized into groups. These groups were based on the parish (local church area) where they lived. Each group was called a company. The group then spread throughout the Diocese of Brescia.

One of the first things the new company did was teach religion to girls. They did this at the parish church every Sunday. This was a new idea for that time. Usually, this teaching was left to the local parish priest. Soon, companies started in other areas too.

In 1538, the company had grown so much that they held their first big meeting. This meeting was called a General Chapter. At this meeting, Merici was chosen as the "Mother" of the company for her whole life. The next year, her health started to get worse. She wrote down her Testament and a book of Counsels. These writings helped guide the group's life. She died in 1540.

The company was officially recognized by Pope Paul III in 1546.

In 1572, in Milan, something changed. Under Charles Borromeo, the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, some members of the company became an enclosed religious order. This meant they lived in a monastery and did not go out into the world. Pope Gregory XIII gave them the Rule of St. Augustine to follow. Especially in France, some groups of the company started to become cloistered nuns. They took solemn vows and focused on educating girls inside their monasteries.

How the Angelines Spread

Companies of the Angelines continued to exist and do well, especially in Italy. But in 1810, like other religious groups, they were stopped. This happened after the Napoleonic Empire invaded Italy.

However, two sisters, Elisabetta and Maddalena Girelli, restarted the company in Brescia in 1866. Once again, companies began to spread throughout Italy. Each company was legally independent. But they started talking to each other. This led to the creation of a Federation of Companies, which linked them together.

By the 1900s, companies began to be started outside of Italy again. In 1947, the Catholic Church, under Pope Pius XII, saw that lay (non-clergy) Catholic spirituality was growing stronger. So, they created a new category called secular institute in canon law. This gave committed groups of lay people a formal status. The Angelines were officially recognized by the Holy See (the Pope and his main advisors) on May 25, 1958. They were named the Secular Institute of Saint Angela Merici.

The company has continued to grow. Today, Angelines are present in 23 countries around the world. One of the newest groups started in the United States in 2000. Members there were helped by the Angelines in Canada. They officially joined the Federation in 2006. Since 2010, a company has been started in Australia. This group is guided by the company in France. The French company is also helping to start companies in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Singapore.

See Also

• Ursulines