Angelinas


Angelinas after Mass
The Angelinas are a group of young mothers who meet every other month with the Ursuline Sisters in their convent at St Thomas More’s, Lancaster. They come together for mutual support and to find inspiration in the writings of St Angela Merici for the living of their vocation as wives and mothers.

The meeting starts with a shared meal provided, in turn, by members of the group. Then a talk, given by one of the sisters on some aspect of Angela’s spirituality, leads into discussion and faith sharing .The evening ends with prayer.

For the feast of St Angela, which is celebrated on the 27th January, the day of her death in Brescia, 1540, one of the Angelinas wrote a reflection on what Angela had come to mean to her as a result of belonging to the group. With her permission, it is quoted below.
For the past few years, I've been a member of a small group looking at the writings of St Angela. Angela is an unassuming and largely unknown saint.  But I have come to learn that she was a great heroine, profoundly relevant to us all, but especially so to women, mothers and wives of this modern age.   She has given a new perspective to my faith.
 Angela was gifted in guiding others. Through her Legacies, she gently encourages, nudges, protects and supports others to become who they truly are. She encourages us to listen to what God wishes to tell us about ourselves and to trust our instincts that come from Him.  And she advises us to give to others, especially our children, the space and respect to do the same for themselves.

Angela gives us a wonderful and practical method for loving and bringing out the best in each other, and in so doing bringing out the best in ourselves and what we have to offer  She exhorts us to take a practical approach in how we serve: to consider the signs of our time and to prepare for a new beginning.  She understood that simply if you love, you do the wise thing. 

But Angela was no shrinking violet.  She was a tough, tenacious, shrewd woman, with an independence of mind and conviction to act.  Angela's wisdom was acquired through the adversities, personal losses and great sorrows she had endured.  In that endurance, it was her inspirational determination and persistence that kept alive in her heart and in her actions the four wonderful graces of Faith, Love, Hope and Charity.

While not a mother herself, the concept of motherhood is central to Angela's way.  This includes the mothering of our own children, but also goes beyond to the nurturing and "mothering" of others.   Angela has a profound esteem for the nature of the mutual loving relationships that we foster within our families.  And so wonderful is this quality for her that she encourages us to apply this model to all our human relationships.  In this way, we can foster communities where each member acts in the service and love for others.

Angela supports me in coping with the challenges I face.  She understands the joy and inspiration that motherhood brings to us, but she also knows that it comes at a cost, with the total giving of self.  So she counsels that if we turn to God through prayer and submit to our circumstances, however complicated or burdensome, He will give us the strength to carry on – as we all know we have to – no matter how impossible that might feel at times.

So when we feel overwhelmed with all the demands made of us, when life throws tough surprises at us and we feel surrounded only by the suffering and nastiness in the world, we can still draw strength from our belief that God has given us the grace to fulfil our vocation.