Angela of Foligno
Encyclopedia
Angela of Foligno was a Christian
author, Franciscan
tertiary
, and mystic
. She was noted not only for her spiritual writings, but also for founding a religious order.
, Italy
(near Assisi
). She married at an early age, and had a family. Traditional accounts state that she lived "wildly, adulterously, and sacrilegiously" in her early years. However, Angela's lifestyle abruptly changed around 1285. She prayed to Saint Francis of Assisi
, who then appeared to her in a dream and offered to help. The deaths of her family happened suddenly c. 1288.
Some time after her conversion
Angela had placed herself under the direction of a Franciscan
friar
named Arnoldo, who would serve as her confessor
. It was to Arnoldo that Angela dictated the account of her conversion, known as the Memoriale, taking dictation in her Umbrian dialect. This work, in Latin was complete by 1298; it has come to us as the Book of Visions and Instructions. Further, it was under Arnoldo's instruction that Angela joined the Third Order of St. Francis
. For a time she had stigmata wounds on her body, and during this period she ate very little food.
In the course of time, the fame of her sanctity gathered around her a number of other tertiaries, both men and women, who strove under her direction to advance in holiness. Later she established at Foligno a community of Sisters, who added to the Rule of the Third Order a commitment to a common life without, however, binding themselves to enclosure
, so that they might devote their time to works of charity.
Angela died surrounded by her community of disciples. Her remains repose uncorrupted (her corpse has never deteriorated) in the church of St. Francis at Foligno. Many people attributed miracles to her, which were accomplished at her tomb. Pope Clement XI approved the veneration paid to her in her beatification on 11 July 1701. Her feast day is celebrated by the Order on January 4.
Blessed Angela's authority as a spiritual teacher may be gathered from the fact that Bollandus, among other testimonials, quotes Maximilian Sandaeus, of the Society of Jesus
, as calling her the "'Mistress of Theologians', whose whole doctrine has been drawn out of the Book of Life, Jesus Christ, Our Lord."
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
author, Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
tertiary
Tertiaries
Tertiaries may mean either:* associations of lay Christians connected with the mendicant and other religious Orders, i.e. Third orders* a bird's hand i.e. remiges....
, and mystic
Christian mysticism
Christian mysticism refers to the development of mystical practices and theory within Christianity. It has often been connected to mystical theology, especially in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions...
. She was noted not only for her spiritual writings, but also for founding a religious order.
Early life and conversion
Angela was born into a wealthy family in the city of FolignoFoligno
Foligno is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(near Assisi
Assisi
- Churches :* The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi is a World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed in 1253...
). She married at an early age, and had a family. Traditional accounts state that she lived "wildly, adulterously, and sacrilegiously" in her early years. However, Angela's lifestyle abruptly changed around 1285. She prayed to Saint Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, who then appeared to her in a dream and offered to help. The deaths of her family happened suddenly c. 1288.
Some time after her conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
Angela had placed herself under the direction of a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
named Arnoldo, who would serve as her confessor
Confessor
-Confessor of the Faith:Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith, but not to the point of death. The term is still used in this way in the East. In Latin Christianity it has come to signify any saint, as well as those who have been declared...
. It was to Arnoldo that Angela dictated the account of her conversion, known as the Memoriale, taking dictation in her Umbrian dialect. This work, in Latin was complete by 1298; it has come to us as the Book of Visions and Instructions. Further, it was under Arnoldo's instruction that Angela joined the Third Order of St. Francis
Third Order of St. Francis
The Third Order of St. Francis is a third order within the Franciscan movement of the Roman Catholic Church. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world, usually married...
. For a time she had stigmata wounds on her body, and during this period she ate very little food.
In the course of time, the fame of her sanctity gathered around her a number of other tertiaries, both men and women, who strove under her direction to advance in holiness. Later she established at Foligno a community of Sisters, who added to the Rule of the Third Order a commitment to a common life without, however, binding themselves to enclosure
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
, so that they might devote their time to works of charity.
Angela died surrounded by her community of disciples. Her remains repose uncorrupted (her corpse has never deteriorated) in the church of St. Francis at Foligno. Many people attributed miracles to her, which were accomplished at her tomb. Pope Clement XI approved the veneration paid to her in her beatification on 11 July 1701. Her feast day is celebrated by the Order on January 4.
Blessed Angela's authority as a spiritual teacher may be gathered from the fact that Bollandus, among other testimonials, quotes Maximilian Sandaeus, of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, as calling her the "'Mistress of Theologians', whose whole doctrine has been drawn out of the Book of Life, Jesus Christ, Our Lord."
External links
- http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20101013_en.html Pope Benedict XVI's speech about Angela of Foligno
- Saint of the Day, January 4 at St. Patrick Catholic Church