Today, March 2, is the memorial of Saint Angela of the Cross.
Foundress of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross.
She was named Maria de los Angeles and born in 1846 in Spain. Before entering the religious life, she worked in a shoe repair shop for almost 20 years.
Maria attempted to become a Discalced Carmelite nun, but her health was too fragile for the monastic nuns’ physical work load. She later joined the Daughters of Charity, but left again because of poor health.
Her spiritual director Fr. Jose Torres advised her to care for the sick and the poor. Despite the setbacks, she humbly listened to Fr. Torres’ advice to discern what God really wanted from her.
In 1873, she saw in a vision an empty cross. She understood that her mission was to hang from that empty cross and help the poor and bring them closer to God. Around this time, she kept a spiritual diary to record her progress.
In 1875, she was joined by three other women and they led a community life. Thus was born the Sisters of the Company of the Cross, with Maria taking “Angela of the Cross” as her religious name. The congregation dedicates themselves to working with the marginalized members of society. Away from outside work, the sisters lead a life of silence and prayer.
Angela died of natural causes in 1932 at age 86. Pope St. John Paul II beatified her in 1982. The same pope canonized Angela in 2003.