Saint Ursula

Saint Ursula

Ursula was born in Great Britain. She had Christian parents. Her father was a king of Cornubia in Scotland. When she was a little girl, she really loved children, so she became a teacher. Lots of parents sent their children to Ursula. Ursula taught them how to be a good person. She told the children about Jesus Christ and Mother Mary.

Ursula’s father asked Ursula to marry a pagan prince, but she had already vowed her heart and her life to Jesus Christ. So in the year 383, her father sent Ursula, along with 11,000 young girls, to Western Gaul to join her future husband. But a storm brought them to the mouth of the Rhine. At that time, the Huns were colonizing Europe. The Huns saw Ursula’s ship and they were ready to pillage it. The Huns hated Jesus Christ and they killed Christians. So they caught Ursula and the 11,000 young girls. The Huns would set them free if they gave up Christ and Catholic faith, but, commanded by Ursula, the girls refused. And that made the Huns angry, so they killed those young girls.

The leader of the Huns fell in love with Ursula’s beauty. He promised he wouldn’t kill her if she married him. Ursula didn’t want to marry him. She would rather die than gave her virginity to that prince. So, the Huns’ leader shot Ursula with his arrow. Ursula and the other 11,000 girls died as virgin martyrs.

Ursula and the other girls were buried in Cologne where the Church of Saint Ursula is dedicated to her. The Order of Ursulines, found by Angela Merici in 1535, is especially devoted to the education of young girls. This Order has also helped to spread throughout the world the name of Saint Ursula. Saint Ursula was named the patron saint of students. Ursula’s Feast is on October 21st.

I choose Saint Ursula as my hero because I was astonished with her courage in keeping her faith in Christ. She died instead of giving up her faith in Christ. And she chose to protect her virginity from the Huns’ leader who forced her to marry him instead of dying.