π Blessed Angelina of Marsciano π
Foundress of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis β Abbess and model of holy charity
π Born: 1357, Montegiove, Umbria, Papal States
β°οΈ Died: 14 July 1435, Foligno, Umbria, Papal States
π Venerated in: Roman Catholic Church
(especially by the Third Order of St. Francis and Poor Clares)
βοΈ Beatified: 8 March 1825 (βcultus confirmedβ) by Pope Leo XII at Saint Peterβs Basilica
ποΈ Major Shrine: Chiesa di San Francesco, Foligno, Perugia, Italy
π Feast Day: 13 July (formerly 21 July)
π Attributes: Franciscan habit, veil, rosary, surrounded by women religious
π Patronage: Foundresses, consecrated women, Franciscan tertiaries
βHer heart burned with love for the poor and the Lordβs will.β
Blessed Angelina of Marsciano, T.O.R. (1357 β July 14, 1435), an Italian religious sister, founded the Franciscan Sisters of Blessed Angelina, establishing the first Franciscan Third Order Regular community for women, authorized by Pope Nicholas V. Unlike the enclosed Poor Clares, her congregation embraced an active apostolate serving the poor. Her feast is commemorated by Franciscans on June 4, with her liturgical celebration on July 13.
Born in 1357 in the Castle of Montegiove, near Orvieto in Umbria (then part of the Papal States), Angelina was the daughter of Jacopo Angioballi, Count of Marsciano, and Anna, daughter of the Count of Corbara, sometimes called Angelina of Corbara. Orphaned by age six, alongside her sister, she was raised by her grandparents. At 15, she married Giovanni da Terni, Count of Civitella del Tronto in the Kingdom of Naples, but was widowed two years later, left childless and in charge of his castle and estate. Choosing to dedicate her life to God, Angelina joined the Franciscan Third Order and, with companions, began preaching repentance, virginity, and service to the needy across Naplesβ countryside.
Her zealous mission stirred controversy, leading to accusations of sorcery and heresy for her influence over women and perceived opposition to marriage. Defending herself before King Ladislas of Naples, she was cleared but expelled from the kingdom to quell further unrest. In Assisi, at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, a vision directed her to found a cloistered monastery in Foligno under the Third Order Rule, a plan swiftly approved by the local bishop to curb her active ministry.
Settling in Foligno around 1394, Angelina joined the Monastery of St. Anna, a small community of Franciscan tertiary women founded in 1388 by Blessed Paoluccio Trinci, a relative by marriage. Known as the βMonastery of the Countessesβ for its noble members, it aimed to evangelize through service to the poor. Angelina assumed leadership, organizing the community into a more structured form. By 1397, she led its 12 founding members, and in 1403, Pope Boniface IX formally recognized the house as a monastery. Its reputation led to affiliations with communities in Florence, Spoleto, Assisi, Viterbo, and 11 others before her death.
In 1428, Pope Martin V recognized these communities as a congregation, granting them the right to elect a minister general. Angelina was elected the first minister general in 1430 and developed statutes for the congregation. However, tensions arose when the Friars Minor, granted authority over tertiaries, demanded obedience. Angelina vowed obedience to the local minister provincial in 1430, but her community rejected this as coerced, and the Holy See restored their autonomy in 1431, placing them under local bishops with spiritual guidance from the Third Order Regular friars.
Angelina died on July 14, 1435, and was interred in the Church of St. Francis in Foligno, with her remains moved to a grander shrine in 1492. Her cultus was approved in 1825, earning her the title of Blessed. Her congregation flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries, focusing on simplicity and service. Briefly under the Friars Minor in 1428 for educating girls, it became enclosed in 1617, taking solemn vows and focusing on cloistered education. In 1903, papal enclosure was lifted, allowing a broader apostolate as the Franciscan Sisters of Blessed Angelina. By 2000, the congregation had houses in Brazil, Madagascar, Switzerland, and Italy.
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