Posted February 20, 2018 in Articles

There is a new look for the Ursuline Sisters, and it is rooted in a long tradition.

[image:1]

The Ursuline Coat of Arms was granted to the Paris congregation of Ursuline Sisters by King Henry IV in 1607. Various elements of the Coat of Arms have been used by Ursulines over the centuries to illustrate our charism, or the particular way the Holy Spirit has called us to manifest the gospel through our congregation. We have highlighted the motto “Soli Deo Gloria” to proclaim that we strive to live for the glory of God alone. We have used the fleur-de-lis as a symbol both of our Trinitarian faith and our French foundation. In a conscious effort to remain faithful to our roots as well as speak to the world in the 21st century, we have now selected the double star from the Coat of Arms to represent us through our new logo.

Legend tells us that a star hovered for days over the house where St. Angela Merici, our founder, awaited burial. Legends may be for children, but they also proclaim truths. In this case, we believe that Angela was a holy woman chosen by God to institute the Company of St. Ursula, the original foundation of all Ursulines throughout the world and through all ages. More specifically the double star symbolizes the active-contemplative life of each Ursuline Sister, committed to both generous ministry and faithful prayer. The foundation star represents prayer as the ground of our life. The four points of the front star symbolize the three traditional vows of religious – poverty, chastity and obedience – as well as our Ursuline vow of Christian education, teaching and witnessing to the gospel in whatever service we perform.

This is certainly a year of exciting changes for the sisters, and with our new logo and the new look of our newsletter, we will also have this new website design!.