January 27 2025 - St. Angela Merici - Faith, Excellence, Service in Catholic Schools

 Happy Catholic Schools Week everyone! Each year, we set aside this time to celebrate the distinct mission of our Catholic schools—a mission that cannot be found just anywhere. Yes, you can learn reading, math, and science in many different places, but Catholic education offers something more: the chance to grow in Faith, strive for Excellence, and foster a spirit of Service.

In reflecting on these three pillars—Faith, Excellence, and Service—we find a perfect model in St. Angela Merici, whose feast we celebrate today. From her own life story, we see how a deep love for God overflowed into compassionate service toward others.

First, Faith. St. Angela Merici was a woman of profound faith. Even at the young age of ten, the age of our fifth graders, she consecrated herself to God, choosing to live a life rooted in prayer and dedicated to serving God. Again, at the age of 10, she was concerned with how the young children of her neighborhood were so poorly educated, they couldn’t read or write, so she took it upon herself to teach. She gave regular instruction to the young neighborhood girls. And she continued this work throughout her life.

In our Catholic schools, our starting place is the same as St. Angela’s. Faith. Our Catholic School exists because people of faith started a parish, and started a school. They wanted a place where the children of this neighborhood could come to learn about God, and learn the skills that would be needed to flourish. 

The second pillar is Excellence. 

St. Angela’s life also shows us the meaning of true excellence. She saw a pressing need—children who lacked religious training—and rather than despair, she devoted her energy, talents, and organizational skills to address it. She founded a group of women—eventually known as “The Company of St. Ursula”—who taught the faith to girls, ensuring they would receive strong moral and intellectual formation. Angela Merici did not settle for mediocrity but sought to give her best for the glory of God.

In our Catholic schools, “excellence” goes beyond academics. Yes, we strive for high standards in reading, writing, science, and math; yet we also aim for excellence in character, discipline, and love for one another. We work on our intellects and our hearts. We train our minds and our wills so that each student can become not only an intelligent person but a kind, selfless, and faith-filled disciple of Jesus.

The third pillar is Service. St.  Angela Merici reminds us of the power of service. At every stage of her life, Angela put her faith into action by serving others. She did not simply complain about the lack of religious education for children—she responded with courage, gathered like-minded friends, and transformed her small efforts into a movement. A movement that has shaped the world, for St. Angela’s “Company of St. Ursula” also known as the “Ursulines” have taught and shaped generations of Catholics around the world, and even here in Cleveland. Many schools and universities have been staffed by Ursulines and those formed by them.

Service is precisely the call of Catholic education: to form servant-leaders who bring the light of Christ to every corner of society. We want our students not only to excel but to channel their gifts into service—whether by caring for a classmate in need, volunteering in the parish, or reaching out to the marginalized. In this way, you, students of St. Ignatius of Antioch school, will have a positive impact in our world. 

As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, let us take her life to heart. May we be: People of Faith, rooted in prayer and trust in God; People of Excellence, striving to give our very best for the glory of God; People of Service, always seeking ways to lift up those in need. St. Angela Merici, pray for us! For the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

January 27 2023 - St. Angela Merici - A woman of holy initiative

 Ever since hearing her story, I’ve been inspired by the story of St. Angela, especially her initiative. She was a woman of tremendous initiative, holy initiative. 

At the tender age of 10, she consecrated herself to the Lord as a third order Franciscan and vowed never to marry, but to live a life of consecrated virginity, prayer and service. Seeing how poorly catechized the young people of her neighborhood were, she took the initiative and took it upon herself to offer religious instruction to the young neighborhood girls—evangelizing them, catechizing them, opening them up to the life of grace. 

Heaven took the initiative in Angela’s life too. She was given a vision from the Lord, that she was to found an institution with other consecrated virgins to further devote their lives toward the religious training of young girls. These women had little money, but were bound together by their dedication to educating youth in service of the Lord and His Church. 

Around the age of 61, Angela took another initiative. With 12 other young women who vowed consecrated virginity, she formed the Order of Ursulines, the first religious order in the history of the Church dedicated primarily to teaching.

Angela's goal was to elevate family life through Christian education for women—the future wives and mothers. One of her favorite sayings was, "Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family." 

The Company of St. Ursula spread throughout Italy and France and eventually through all of Europe.  They were the very first Catholic religious sisters to land in the new world.  

St. Angela’s holy initiative changed the world, and yet, it was her deep Christian faith and love that animated her, gave her courage, and enabled her to take bold steps to meet real human demands. 

Yet, listen to her humble words recognizing how we imperfect, limited humans are called to serve God. She says, “Do not lose heart, even if you should discover that you lack qualities necessary for the work to which you are called. He who called you will not desert you, but the moment you are in need he will stretch out his saving hand.”

Inspired by her holy example, may we take the initiative to grow in holiness through service, recognizing the needs that we are being called to address, recognizing our own limitations and our own need to trust in the Lord at all times for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, next week, we pray for all students in Catholic schools, that the Spirit of God may grant them the gifts of wisdom and understanding, and that teachers may share their knowledge with gentleness, patience, and competence. 

For parents, the first teachers of their children, that by their faith and love, they may be blessings to their families, and for a strengthening of all families in faith. 

In Thanksgiving for the Ursuline Order, for their efforts to instill faith in our Diocese over the decades.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

January 27 2021 - St. Angela Merici - Let love for others be intense

 Angela Merici was born on March 21, 1474.  Out of love for Jesus, she consecrated herself to him before she was ten years old and persuaded her sister to do the same—promising never to get married and to live a life of prayer and service.  As she grew in age, she became concerned by the lack of religious training of the young people, so she took it upon herself to give regular instruction to the young neighborhood girls.  She was joined by neighborhood women with similar ideals.

It wasn’t until the age of 61 that she, and 28 other women formed the Order of Ursulines, the first teaching order of religious sisters in the history of the Church. St. Angela and the Ursulines were dedicated to re-christianizing family life through solid Christian education, especially for young girls who were the future Christian wives and mothers.  The Company of St. Ursula spread throughout Italy and France and eventually through all of Europe.  They were the very first Catholic nuns to land in the new world.  

Before Cleveland was even a diocese, Father Amadeus Rappe, who would become the first bishop of Cleveland was chaplain to the Ursulines in the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer in France. When in 1847, he became the first Bishop of Cleveland, it was among his top priorities to establish schools.   So, he invited the Ursulines from Boulogne-sur-Mer to begin a foundation in Cleveland and to start the Catholic school system in north eastern Ohio. 

St. Angela knew the importance of passing on the faith, taking serious efforts in the lives of children to instill in them faith in Jesus Christ.  She was a woman of action whose efforts changed Church history, When she saw the ignorance of the children in her neighborhood, she didn’t just wring her hands or complain, she went out and taught them.

Like St. Paul who we celebrated on Monday, timothy and titus who we celebrated yesterday, St. Angela knew the importance of passing on the faith to the younger generation, and did something about it. She emulates many of those virtues St. Peter writes about in his first letter: sober minded, hospital, loving of others with intensity, a steward of God’s manifold grace, one who despite her challenges, served God with the strength that God supplied. Her concern for the young was a concern for the Lord Himself. She loved others intensely because she loved him intensely.

May we do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, next week, we pray for all students in Catholic schools, that the Spirit of God may grant them the gifts of wisdom and understanding, and that teachers may share their knowledge with gentleness, patience, and competence. 

For parents, the first teachers of their children, that by their faith and love, they may be blessings to their families, and for a strengthening of all families in faith. 

In Thanksgiving for the Ursuline Order, for their efforts to instill faith in our Diocese over the decades.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

3rd Week of OT 2020 - Wednesday - Christ the Teacher and his teacher Saints

During this Catholic Schools Week already we’ve celebrated two saintly teachers. First, St. Angela Merici who taught the young children of her neighborhood and went on to found the first religious order of women primarily dedicated to teaching, the Ursulines. That religious Order of teachers spread throughout Europe then to our North American shores, and can now be found in nearly every corner of the globe, teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The second teacher we honored yesterday was the great Angelic Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, whose clear, systematic teaching of theology has shaped the minds of generations of Catholics, not to mention, the texts of our Sacred Worship. Thomas’ writings and teachings are clearly motivated by his love for God and his love for others, wanting to help them to understand our wonderful faith.

These teacher Saints reflect the mind and heart of Christ the Teacher. Throughout the Gospels and in particular our Gospel today, we discover Our Lord who loves to teach. He teaches in synagogues, in teaches in the streets of Jerusalem and on the temple steps, he teaches at dinner tables full of sinners, he teaches in the plains and on mountain peaks.

His most notable method of teaching was his use of parables: using common symbols often taken from common life to convey deep lessons touching upon the most profound realities of God, eternal life, the human soul, love and forgiveness, sin and salvation.

Today’s parable is one of my favorites because it is a parable about parables, a parable which explains what he teaches, why he teaches, and different human responses to his teaching. When our minds and hearts are clogged with sin, or unwillingness to change, his teaching will be lost on us. When our minds and hearts are open, and committed to change to adapt to his teachings, something new grows in us.

St. Angela, St. Thomas and all of the great saints become great teachers and great paragons of holiness because their minds and hearts and souls were rich soil for the word of God to take root and bear fruit. They became the greatest of teachers because they allowed themselves to be taught. In a sense, they become the parables of Jesus, which Christ the teacher uses to teach his disciples and save their souls. May our hearts and minds be as receptive as theirs, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Church leaders will faithfully proclaim Christ’s love and truth to the world.
That our parish families and the families of all of our school children will be places where the Christian faith is believed, followed, taught, and cherished.
For the students, teachers, staff, and alumni of St. Ignatius School and all of our Catholic Schools.
For the sick and suffering among us, for those who care for them, and for all of our beloved dead, especially X, for whom this mass is offered.

January 27 2020 - St. Angela Merici - Catholic Schools Week

We begin Catholic Schools Week this year celebrating the feast day of one of the great Patron Saints of Catholic education, St. Angela Merici. St. Angela lived about 500 years ago. Out of love for Jesus, she consecrated her life to him from a very young age—promising never to get married and to live a life of prayer and service and she convinced her sisters to do the same.

Around the age of 10, Angela’s parents and one of her sisters died. So she moved to a nearby town to live with her uncle. One day, she was out in a field, when she had a vision of heaven. She saw angels and young women coming toward her singing and surrounded by light.  One of the young girls was Angela’s sister who had died, and she told Angela that God wanted her to form a group of women consecrated to the Lord for doing God’s work.

After her vision, she became deeply concerned for the religious education of the children in her native town. She was saddened because they did not love the Lord Jesus as they should, so she took it upon herself to give regular religious instruction to the children. She was soon joined by other women from the neighborhood who shared a similar calling.

Together with these women, St. Angela formed the Order of Ursulines, the first religious order of religious sisters in Church history dedicated primarily to teaching. St. Angela and the Ursulines dedicated their lives to teaching children about Jesus. St. Angela’s Ursulines spread throughout Italy and France and eventually throughout all of Europe and they were the very first Catholic nuns in the United States.

When Catholics spread to Cleveland, our first Bishop, Bishop Amadeus Rappe knew that establishing Catholics schools was a top priority. He invited the Ursulines to Cleveland to start the Catholic school system here in northeast Ohio. St. Angela’s Ursulines have been a blessing to the Church of Cleveland for over 170 years.

St. Angela knew the importance of helping people to know, love, and follow Jesus which is the primary mission of Catholic Schools. She was a woman of action whose efforts changed world history. When she saw the ignorance of the children in her neighborhood, she didn’t just wring her hands or complain, she went out and taught them.

She is a wonderful saint to celebrate and imitate during this Catholic Schools Week.  Now she prays for all Catholic school children from her place near God in heaven and for all of us, that we may learn everything we can about Jesus, that we may love him and follow him and spread that faith to others, for the glory of god and salvation of souls.

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As we begin Catholic Schools Week, we pray for all students, that the Spirit of God may grant them the gifts of wisdom and understanding, and that teachers may share their knowledge with gentleness, patience, and competence.

For parents, the first teachers of their children, that by their faith and love, they may be blessings to their families, and for a strengthening of all families in faith.

In Thanksgiving for the Ursuline Order, for their efforts to instill faith in our Diocese over the decades.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Homily: Jan 27 2017 - St. Angela Merici - "Endurance to do the will of God"

On the east side of our church’s front entrance there is a stained glass window of today’s glorious Saint, St. Angela Merici. Her window faces the old parish convent which housed the Ursuline Sisters who were the first teachers here at our parish school.

Many of you here today, were taught by the sisters, whose order was founded by St. Angela back in 1535. Deeply concerned for the neighborhood children, especially their lack of religious training, St. Angela, took it upon herself to give regular instruction to the young neighborhood girls.  She was soon joined by another dozen women who shared her concerns and ideals. She began her holy work in her late 50s, and at the time of her death at the age of 65 there were 24 communities of Ursulines.
Here is a woman who had a deep love for Christ and a concern for souls, who saw a pressing need, and who did something about it, which has changed the world. She didn’t just wring her hands in the face of a problem

She really was a tough woman. Legend has it that, as she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land she was suddenly struck blind. Despite this malady, she continued her pilgrimage, and was cured of her blindness while praying before the crucifix.

No doubt she exemplified the words from our reading from the letter to the Hebrews: “You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.” Endurance is needed to persevere in the type of prayer we need to sustain us in the Christian life. Endurance is needed to persevere in the tasks God has given us. Endurance is needed to remain faithful in the face of temptations. But that endurance leads to great graces, and the inheritance of life eternal.

May we, like St. Angela, be attentive to the needs of our community, especially the younger generation who are yet to be formed fully in the faith, may we trust in the Lord amidst unforeseen maladies, and persevere with endurance in the face of temptations for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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1) That all Christians may be courageous and generous in serving the Lord according to their abilities.

2) For the members of the Order of St. Ursula, through the intercession of their patron, St. Angela, may they be sustained and sanctified in their holy service. For an increase in vocations to consecrated life.

3) For all students, that the Spirit of God may grant them the gifts of wisdom and understanding.  For all teachers, that they may share their knowledge with gentleness, patience, and concern for their students.  And For parents, the first teachers of their children, that their faith and love may be an example to us always.  We pray to the Lord.

4) For all those who lack faith, that they may learn to seek God’s wisdom in coming to know Jesus as Lord.  We pray to the Lord.

5) For the safety of those traveling to Washington for the March for Life, for the success of their holy witness, for the safety of the unborn, an end to abortion, and the conversion of hearts to the Gospel of Life.