Born in Kalisz, Poland, in 1825, Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska would eventually become a foundress. As a young girl, however, she would contract tuberculosis. Thus, she would complete her education at home, with private tutors, learning about the social issues of the time from her father. Noticing a need among the vulnerable in Poland for aid, Sophia joined the Secular Franciscan Order and took on the name Angela, providing comfort to vulnerable women and orphaned children from a pair of rented attic rooms. In 1855, she founded the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice. Elected three times as the superior general of the Felician Sisters, she devoted herself to serving those in need, before ultimately passing away in 1899.

Image:

Siostry Felicjanki, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources:

“Blessed Mary Angela.” Felician Sisters of North America, August 12, 2023. https://www.felician.org/about/mary-angela-truszkowska/.

“Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska.” Franciscan Media, August 6, 2024. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/blessed-mary-angela-truszkowska/.

You can read Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska's pamphlet, a reprint of an article which appeared in the journal of Polish American Studies, through JSTOR:

Mother Mary Angela Truszkowska: Foundress of the Felician Sisters