The 'Ursulines' are a
religious order founded at
Brescia,
Italy by
St. Angela of Merici in November
1535, primarily for the
education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their
patron saint is
St. Ursula.
History
St. Angela spent 17 years leading a group of women known as ''The Company of St. Ursula'', who regularly met for conferences and devotional practices but did not live together. They were recognized in
1544 by
Pope Paul III. In
1572,
Pope Gregory XIII, at the instance of
St. Charles Borromeo, Cardinal
Archbishop of Milan, declared the Ursulines a religious order with enclosure under the rule of
Augustine of Hippo.
In the following century, the Ursulines were powerfully encouraged and supported by
St. Francis de Sales. In most cases, especially in
France, the sisters adopted enclosure and took solemn vows. They were called the "religious Ursulines" as distinct from the "congregated Ursulines," who preferred to follow the original plan.
By
1639, there were Ursulines in
Canada who taught the
catechism to aboriginal children. Their work helped to preserve a religious spirit among the French population and to Christianize aboriginals and
Métis. In
1771, the
Irish Ursulines were established at
Cork by
Nano Nagle.
Towards the beginning of the
18th century, the period of its greatest prosperity, the Ursuline order embraced some 20 congregations, with 350
convents and from 15,000 to 20,000
nuns. The members wore a black dress bound by a leathern girdle, a black sleeveless cloak, and a close-fitting headdress with a white veil and a longer black veil.
The founder was beatified by
Clement VIII in
1768 and canonized as St. Angela Merici of Brescia by
Pius VII in
1807.
Today, while some convents in
Europe, Canada, and
Cuba continue to observe strict enclosure, most convents have adopted less restrictive forms.
Role in education
Colleges and universities
In the
United States, the Ursulines have founded two well-known
Catholic women's colleges.
Ursuline College in
Pepper Pike,
Ohio was founded in 1871 by the Ursuline Sisters of
Cleveland. It was followed in
1904 by
College of New Rochelle, which is located in
New Rochelle,
New York.
In
1919, the Ursulines founded a university-level
liberal arts college for women in
London,
Ontario,
Canada. Currently called
Brescia University College (Brescia College at its foundation), it remains the only university-level college for women in Canada and is affiliated with the
University of Western Ontario.
From 1922 to 1975 the
Mary Manse College in
Toledo,
Ohio was operated by the Ursulines. It was a
women's college until 1971, then was
coeducational for its final four years.
In
1932, the Great Falls Junior College for Women was founded in
Great Falls,
Montana. Now the
University of Great Falls, it has an open admission policy.
The Mount Saint Joseph Junior College for Women operated between
1925 and
1950 in
Maple Mount,
Kentucky, with the Ursulines offering co-educational extension courses at Owensboro. The Ursulines merged their extension courses with Mount Saint Joseph Junior College in
1950, creating the co-educational
Brescia University still in operation today.
From 1968 to 2003 the Ursuline Order operated Ursula College at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. It is a co-educational residential college for approximately 200 undergraduates. In 2003 the college was sold to the University and was renamed
Ursula Hall. The Ursuline tradition has been retained in the Halls high educational standards, retention of Ursuline symbols and livery, and the observance of St Ursula's day in October. St Ursula's day is celebrated as Ursies Weekend and is a final opportunity to relax and party before final exams are held in early November.
Secondary education
Ursuline
secondary education schools are found across the United States and other countries. The first school,
Ursuline Academy, began in
1727 in
New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the oldest all girl's school in the country. The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, New York is a school for girls in grades 6-12 and is closely affiliated with the nearby Iona College.
Other notable Ursuline secondary schools in the United States include the all-female
Ursuline Academy of Dallas in
Dallas, Texas and the all-female
Ursuline Academy in
Wilmington, Delaware.
Also in the United Kingdom, London, is the all-female girl school St. Angela's, named after the founder of the Ursulines. The sixth form centre of the school allows males while the school does not.
The British philosopher and author
Celia Green has written extensively about her time at the Ursuline High School in
Ilford, London
[Green, Celia (2004). ''Letters from Exile: Observations on a Culture in Decline''. Oxford: Oxford Forum.].
Like their colleges, not all Ursuline secondary schools have remained single-sex. The aforementioned Ursuline Academy in Delaware permits male students in grades 1-3, and
Ursuline High School in
Youngstown, Ohio, founded in
1905, is fully co-educational.
Other Ursuline secondary schools in the United States include
Beaumont School in
Cleveland Heights, Ohio (founded in 1850),
Ursuline Academy in
Cincinnati, Ohio (founded in 1898),
St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ursuline Academy in Saint Louis, Missouri (founded in 1848), the
Ursuline Academy of Dedham in
Dedham, Massachusetts and
Ursuline High School in
Santa Rosa, California (founded in 1880). As well as Ursuline Academy, Springfield IL, [www.ursulineacademy.us] which is coed for grades 9-12. There is also an Ursuline high school in the Bronx, the
Academy of Mount Saint Ursula.
Notable alumni
★
Celia Green, British philosopher and author
★
Melinda Gates, Philanthropist, Businesswoman, Wife of
Bill Gates
Notes
See also
★
Dorothy Kazel
★
Ursuline Convent Riots
★
Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (Grey Ursulines)
★
Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin
External links
★
The Ursuline entry in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''
★
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