Note: For the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring women who were beatified or canonized in the 20th or 21st centuries.
The Basics: Born 1248 in Italy; died January 4, 1309 in Italy; canonized October 9, 2013, by Francis I; 
feast day, January 4; wife, mother, mystic.
The Story: The woman St. John Paul II once described as the “teacher of theologians” began life on a very different path. Pretty, flirtatious, and born into a wealthy family, Angela wanted for little as far as she or anyone else could see. She married at twenty, had children… and continued to have lovers. She was nearly forty when her spiritual conversion began, including a devotion to St. Francis of Assisi. In short order–a matter of a few years or months–her mother, husband and children died, leaving her with few options other than to turn to God. She became a lay Franciscan, giving away her worldly goods and ultimately beginning a community of laypeople dedicated to helping the poor. Angela dictated the story of her conversion and her faith journey as it progressed to her spiritual director.
Angela’s Wisdom: “A divine voice spoke to my soul, saying, ‘I did not love you as a joke.'”
What We Can Learn from Angela: It’s never too late. No matter how we have disappointed God, our family, our friends, and perhaps even ourselves, if we come to our senses, are truly contrite for our past deeds, and are resolved to do better, we will find His hands stretched out in welcome.
To Learn More About Angela: Listen to a free audiobook with some of her writings.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my books, Blessed Are You: Finding Inspiration from Our Sisters in Faith or Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
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