St. Angela of the Cross: Mother of the Poor
Today, March 2, the Church honors St. Angela of the Cross, foundress of the Institute of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. Born in 1846 in Seville, Spain, and given the baptismal name "Maria of the Angels" Guerrero Gonzalez, Angela was affectionately known as "Angelita". Her father worked as a cook and her mother a laundress in a Trinitarian Fathers convent. They had 14 children, with only six reaching adulthood. Angelita was greatly influenced by the teaching and example of her pious parents, and was taught from an early age how to pray the Rosary. She could often be found in the parish church praying before the image of "Our Lady of Good Health", while her mother prepared a nearby altar. In their own home, a simple altar was erected in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary during the month of May, where the family would recite the Rosary and give special honor to Our Lady. Angelita made her First Communion when she was eight, and her Confirm...