Ursula Ledóchowska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SaintUrsula Ledóchowska USAHJ |
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Photograph taken in 1907.
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| Born | 17 April 1865 Loosdorf, Melk, Lower Austria, Austrian Empire |
| Died | 29 May 1939 (aged 74) Rome, Kingdom of Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 20 June 1983, Poznań, Poland by Pope John Paul II |
| Canonized | 18 May 2003, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | 29 May |
Julia Ledóchowska (born April 17, 1865 – died May 29, 1939), also known by her religious name Maria Ursula of Jesus, was a Polish Catholic religious sister. She started a group of nuns called the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus.
Ursula Ledóchowska strongly supported Poland becoming an independent country. She often spoke about this at meetings in Scandinavia. For a while, she lived in Russia to open places for nuns to live and work, called convents. However, she was later asked to leave Russia. She continued to start convents in Scandinavian countries. She even translated a religious book for people in Finland. Later, she started her own group of nuns, which she managed from Rome because Pope Benedict XV asked her to.
When she died, many people across Europe were very sad. Soon, people began asking for her to be considered for sainthood. This process officially started on October 15, 1981, when she was called a Servant of God. Earlier investigations had already taken place. Because she showed great goodness and faith, she was named Venerable in 1983. Pope John Paul II declared her a saint in two steps: he beatified her in Poznań, Poland, in 1983, and then made her a full saint in Saint Peter's Square in Rome in 2003.
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Her Early Life and Calling
Julia Ledóchowska was born on April 17, 1865, shortly after Easter. She was born in Loosdorf, Austria. Her family was an important noble family, and she was the fifth of ten children. Her father was Count Antoni Halka-Ledóchowski, and her mother was Countess Josephine Salis-Zizers. Mieczysław Cardinal Halka-Ledóchowski, a high-ranking church leader, was her father's brother.
In 1874, her family faced money problems. They moved to Sankt Pölten, where Julia and her sister Maria Theresia went to a school run by the Sisters of Loreto. In 1882, her father, who wanted to return to his homeland, bought a property in Lipnica Murowana, near Tarnów, Poland. The family moved there in 1883. Her father died in 1885 from a serious illness. Her sister Maria Theresia also got sick but recovered. Before he died, her father supported her wish to become a nun. After his death, her uncle, the cardinal, helped take care of the children.
On August 18, 1886, Julia joined the Ursulines in Kraków, Poland. This was the first step to becoming a nun. In 1887, she received her nun's clothing and was given the religious name Maria Ursula of Jesus. She made her final promises to God on April 28, 1889. In 1904, she was chosen to be the leader of the convent, called the mother superior. She stayed in this role until 1907.
Her Work and Missions
In Kraków, the Ursuline nuns opened a home for young women attending college. This was a new idea at the time. Maria Ursula often spent many hours praying quietly before the Eucharist. With a special blessing from Pope Pius X, she went to St. Petersburg, Russia. There, she helped set up the Saint Catharine House. This was a home for Polish children and teenagers living in Russia. The nuns had to wear regular clothes because Catholic groups were not allowed by the government in the Russian Empire.
As the Russian government became stricter about faith, she moved to Finland, which was controlled by Russia. In Finland, she translated songs and a religious book for the Finnish fishermen. Most of these fishermen were Protestants. Maria Ursula also started a free clinic for sick people, including the fishermen and their families.
Her strong desire to help others soon caught the attention of the Russian authorities. In 1914, she was forced to leave the Russian Empire. She found safety in neutral Sweden but stayed in touch with the nuns who remained in Russia. While in Sweden, she worked to bring different Christian groups closer together. She worked with the Lutheran archbishop Nathan Söderblom. In 1915, she started a newspaper called Solglimtar.
Starting New Schools and Her Own Order
Ursula Ledóchowska settled in Stockholm, Sweden. There, she started a language school and a school for girls to learn about running a home. In 1917, she published a book called Polonica in three languages. In Denmark, in 1918, she founded an orphanage and another home economics school in Aalborg.
In 1920, she returned to Poland with 40 other nuns who had joined her mission. With permission from Rome, she changed a convent in Pniewy into a new group of nuns. This group was called the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus. This new order was officially started on June 7, 1920. In Poland, the Pope's representative, Achille Ratti (who later became Pope Pius XI), encouraged and supported her work.
In 1928, she started a religious center in Rome. She had been living there for some time after Pope Benedict XV asked her to manage her order from Rome. In 1930, she sent 30 nuns to help Polish women working in France. Ursula Ledóchowska was a famous speaker. She often spoke out and defended Poland's right to be an independent country. She spoke at various events and sometimes talked to national leaders and other noble people.
Her Death and Legacy
In mid-1939, Ursula Ledóchowska died in Rome at the convent on Via del Casaletto. She passed away due to a type of cancer. A fellow nun noticed she hadn't come to evening prayers. When she checked on her, she found Ursula had passed away with a rosary in her hand. Her body, which was found to be well-preserved, was moved to the convent in Pniewy on May 29, 1989.
In 2005, her religious order had 832 nuns in 98 houses. These houses were in many countries, including Canada and the Philippines. The Pope officially approved her order on June 4, 1923.
Becoming a Saint
The process to make Ursula Ledóchowska a saint began with investigations in the Diocese of Rome from 1949 to 1957. Two other investigations were held in Kraków and Viviers. All her writings were checked to make sure they followed Catholic teachings. The church leaders approved her writings in 1966. The official start of her cause for sainthood was on October 15, 1981, when she was given the title Servant of God.
The findings from these investigations were sent to Rome to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. This group confirmed the investigations were done correctly in 1982. After further review, on May 14, 1983, she was named Venerable. This happened after Pope John Paul II confirmed that she had lived a life of great goodness and faith.
Steps to Beatification
For Ursula Ledóchowska to be beatified, two miracles needed to be confirmed. Both cases were investigated in Kraków. The first investigation took place from 1971 to 1972, and the second from 1973 to 1974. These investigations were approved in 1982. A group of medical experts approved these miracles in 1983. Church theologians and the Congregation also approved them. Pope John Paul II gave the final approval on June 9, 1983. He then beatified Ursula Ledóchowska during his visit to Poznań on June 20, 1983.
Becoming a Full Saint
One more miracle was needed for her to become a full saint. This case was investigated in Poland from 1998 to 1998. Medical experts approved this case in 2000, and theologians and the Congregation approved it in 2002. Pope John Paul II approved this miracle on April 23, 2002. He set the date for her canonization at a meeting on March 7, 2003. Ursula Ledóchowska was made a saint in Saint Peter's Square on May 18, 2003. About 50,000 people were there to witness this special event.
Confirmed Miracles
The first miracle that led to her beatification involved the healing of Jan Kołodziejski on March 26, 1946. The second miracle for beatification involved the healing of Sister Maria Danuta Pawlak, a nun from Ursula's order, on April 16, 1946.
The miracle that led to Ursula Ledóchowska's canonization was the healing of Daniel Gajewski. On August 2, 1996, he avoided a serious electrical accident. He saw the late religious sister moments before he lost consciousness. He was healed in a way that doctors could not explain.
Who is She the Patron Saint Of?
Since 2006, Saint Ursula Ledóchowska has been the patron saint of Sieradz, a city in Poland. Since 2016, she has also been the patron of Pniewy, another Polish city. She is also considered the patron saint of Polish girls, as well as orphans and educators.
See also
