St. Angela Merici |
A
common Catholic tradition for some families is to choose a different patron
saint each year to pray to for intercession.
As I didn’t grow up with this tradition in my family, it was new to me
when I heard of it this past Advent season. So
this is the first year my husband and I decided to adopt this tradition with
our family. My husband diligently looked
up some saints who are no strangers to change, since the theme in our lives
this year is all about change. And we
chose our family's patron saint of 2015 to be St. Angela Merici, as she seems the perfect
fit for us.
St.
Angela Merici lived in the late 1400s through the mid-1500s. She helped found the Ursuline sisters along
with St. Ursula and spent most of her life dedicated to elevating the family by
educating girls and mothers. The reason
this was so amazing is because in that time, education for females was reserved
for the rich or nuns. What a
different life she gave so many children from poor families!
St.
Angela is probably most well known for saying “no” to the pope when he asked
her to lead a group of nursing sisters.
Instead, she knew deep down in her heart where the Lord was calling her,
back to her hometown to continue her life-long passion of educating girls.
St.
Angela is also reported to have experienced a miracle. On a trip to the holy land she stopped and
prayed at a crucifix on the Island of Crete when she went completely
blind. Rather than returning home, she
continued on her pilgrimage and on her return to Italy, she stopped once again
on Crete and prayed at the foot of the same crucifix where it is said that her eye sight
was restored. It is believed that this
miracle served as her reminder from Christ not to become blind to the needs of
others.
So
why is she the perfect patron saint for our family? Oh for so many reasons. One, St. Angela was not afraid of change and
created the change she wanted to see.
Our family’s motto is all about change this year. Two, she was a huge proponent of education
and a girl after my own heart. I believe
in the old adage “knowledge is power”.
In addition, this calendar year, we are embarking on our first year of homeschooling, a roller coaster I’m sure I will want to throw
myself from many a time over the next 12 months. Ha! Three, St. Angela knew where the Lord was
calling her. She never wavered from her
purpose in this world. Fourth and
finally, she was never blinded to the needs of others. So I pray to St. Angela to help open my
heart and mind to the Lord’s call in my life and to help me see what Jesus is
asking of me, how I can fulfill the needs of others, in my family, in my
community, wherever He is calling me.
In
my quest to learn more about St. Angel Merici, I found this amazing website, Catholic Playground, offering free downloadable coloring pages for numerous saints.
Check it out by clicking on the link above.
Did
you choose a patron saint for your family this year? Who is it?
Comment below!
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