On October 21, the feast of St. Ursula and her Companions will be celebrated by Ursuline Sisters, Associates, Students, and Ministry Colleagues around the world. St. Ursula was chosen by St. Angela as the patron saint of the Company of St. Ursula when Angela founded it in 1535. According to history, St. Ursula was a leader of a group of virgins and martyrs honored in Cologne near the beginning of the fourth century.

The historical evidence of Ursula’s life has been lost over time. As legend tells us she was the only child of a Christian king and queen in Britain who grew into a young woman of deep faith desiring to dedicate herself to Christ. A neighboring ruler sought to annex her parents’ realm by a marriage between Ursula and the ruler’s son. Inspired in a dream, Ursula offered a creative plan: delay the marriage three years while she and ten young female companions made a voyage, each accompanied by another thousand young women. Ursula was  their captain and leader in faith. She saw this adventure as an opportunity to lead them, and her suitor as well, to Christ. Another dream invited her to make the journey a pilgrimage to Rome and revealed that she would face martyrdom on her return trip. Her companions joined her in the Christian faith and on this journey of faith, which for them all led to martyrdom at the hands of the Huns near Cologne. (Details of the Ursula legend sourced from Angela Merici’s Journey of the Heart by Mary-Cabrini Durkin)

The story and characteristics of St. Ursula and her Companions made a deep impression on St. Angela and resonated with the qualities she wanted for the members of the Company: a deep faith in God, great courage and strength, and a wholehearted readiness to enter fully together into life’s pilgrimage.

In what ways can we live the spirit of St. Ursula and her Companions in our own lives today?