Michael Hahn reflects on the message of St Angela of Foligno, ten years on from her canonisation.
Ten years ago this month, on 9 October 2013, Pope Francis declared Angela of Foligno a saint. A decade later, she still stands as a little-known figure within and outside the Church. Who was Angela, then: how did she come to be a saint, and what does she have to say to Catholics today?
Angela was born in Foligno, a city 15km from Assisi, about 25 years after the death of St Francis. While Angela had lived a worldly life, including being married and having multiple children, as well as owning several properties and delighting in fancy clothes and delicate foods, in around 1285 she was overcome by a fear of damnation and converted to a life of poverty, humility and simplicity in dedication to Christ, whom she called “the God-Man in His Passion” (Deum hominem passionatum).
