Note: To observe the Jubilee Year of Mercy (which runs through November 20), for several weeks I am featuring women who exemplify one of the corporal or spiritual works of mercy. Today: Feed the hungry.
The Basics: Born September 9, 1881, in Poland; died March 12, 1922, in Poland; beatified August 13, 1991, by John Paul II; feast day, March 12. Laywoman; nurse.
The Story: Angela was the youngest or one of the youngest children in a very large family and completed two years of schooling. She felt called to become a woman religious, but due to ill health, she became a lay Franciscan and helped out at hospitals in addition to her regular work as a domestic in Krakow. Angela was just twenty when her employer died, followed shortly thereafter by Angela’s mother. It was at that point she learned her mother had disinherited her; not long after, she was falsely accused of wrongdoing by female friends of her deceased employer’s widower. When World War I broke out, Angela helped nurse soldiers, sharing her own rations that were meager enough when thousands of people left Krakow in the winter of 1914-15. In 1916, she lost her existing job as a maid due to more false accusations. By that point, she was quite ill herself with stomach issues and what was likely multiple scelerosis, but found it difficult to get care because she appeared to be healthy. Her health steadily went downhill and, without family or patrons, she spent the final five years of her life in the case of the St. Zita Association, a religious group of maids of which she had once been a member.
Angela’s Wisdom: “Lord, I live by your will. I will die when you desire. Save me because you can.”
What We Can Learn from Angela: Feeding the hungry doesn’t guarantee we will be fed in turn in our hour of need. Still, we give mercy because the Lord shares it so abundantly with us. Is there a place where you should stop concerning yourself with whether you will be repaid for the mercy you show?
To Learn More About Angela: You’ll find pictures and much more background at the site for the Sanctuary of Blessed Angela Salawa in Siepraw, Poland.
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.
My grandfather was Andrew Salava. He came to America in 1900 and worked as a coal miner in the Pittsburgh PA area. He had a heart attack in his mid 50’s and couldn’t work anymore, He spent his time working for the church doing maintenance work.. The parish priest told him that Anjela Salawa was his cousin and in line to be beatified. Does beatified mean she reached sainthood?
Hi, how lovely! She was beatified in 1991; I believe there is a cause advocating her canonization (becoming a saint) and so we will see how that progresses. Blessings on your day!